We support the expansion of access to quality reproductive health care. We must demand our ability to access time-sensitive, compassionate abortion care. Join us and use your voice. Send letters to Guam's senators and speak out against Bill 291.

Lack of access to safe, affordable, and timely abortion care poses risks to pregnant people's physical and mental health. Lack of access to abortion violates a range of human rights including the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the right to decide freely and responsibly on the number, spacing, and timing of children; and the right to be free from cruel, and inhumane treatment and punishment.

In 2015, Pacific Daily News reported that 25% of Guam residents make $3,000-$20,000 a year and this number had likely increased since the pandemic. Lack of access to abortion care leads to economic hardship for low-income people. The American Journal of Public Health found that the odds of living below the poverty line quadrupled in women who carried an unwanted pregnancy to term. Other research has shown that states with tighter abortion restrictions have higher rates of maternal and infant mortality.

If the individuals who are co-signing the Heartbeat Act of 2022 were genuinely interested in improving maternity outcomes then they would prioritize access to health care, paid family and medical leave, affordable childcare, and other public policies that support maternal health. They would also ensure access to safe abortion and contraception so that a pregnant person can choose how to manage their pregnancy.

The Heartbeat Act of 2022 also contains no exceptions for rape or incest. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, Guam has the second-highest number of rapes per capita in the United States at 64.2 reported rapes per 100,000 people. Survivors of sexual abuse should be given the opportunity to choose how they want to move forward in their lives instead of being forced to carry a pregnancy to term.

Regardless of how pregnancy occurs, abortion is a human right and should be accessible and available if a pregnant person chooses.