Bill Text: HI HR57 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging The University Of Hawaii At Manoa John A. Burns School Of Medicine To Prioritize Efforts To Strengthen Hawaii's Reproductive Care Workforce, Particularly For Rural And Remote Areas Of The State.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-03-31 - Resolution adopted in final form. [HR57 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2023-HR57-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	57
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the university of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine to prioritize efforts to strengthen hawaii's reproductive care workforce, PARTICULARLY FOR RURAL AND REMOTE AREAS OF THE STATE.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, reproductive care is an essential form of health care; and

 

     WHEREAS, in March 1970, Hawaii became the first state to legalize abortion, three years before the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that protected access to abortion nationwide; and

 

     WHEREAS, by legalizing abortion access, the State recognized that preserving access to safe and legal reproductive care is a vital public health objective for Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's unique geography and high cost of living present barriers to obtaining reproductive care for patients and potential patients; and

 

     WHEREAS, as of 2022, only a few abortion providers host reproductive care clinics, which are generally found only in Honolulu, on Maui, and in the Hilo area of Hawaii Island; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to data published by Planned Parenthood, the number of abortion providers in the State has been on the decline since the 1990s; and

 

     WHEREAS, studies show that access to abortion care is linked to financial well-being; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to The Turnaway Study conducted by the University of California San Francisco research group Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, people who were denied access to an abortion experienced an increase in household poverty lasting at least four years relative to those who received an abortion; and

 

     WHEREAS, the study also found that women who lacked access to reproductive care were also found to be less able to pay for basic living expenses and had lower credit scores and higher rates of debt and eviction than those with access to abortion care; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States' ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the federal constitutional right to abortion care; and

 

     WHEREAS, in overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States erased nearly fifty years of legal precedent supporting the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, leading to a wave of abortion restrictions enacted by state legislatures across the country; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States' decision disproportionately harms Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Black, Latino, indigenous, and other people of color, for whom access to health care and economic opportunities has historically been impeded by systemic racism; and

 

     WHEREAS, in response to the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the State must take action to uphold Hawaii's legacy as a leader in advancing reproductive care and enact policies to strengthen reproductive rights in Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine is urged to prioritize efforts to strengthen Hawaii's reproductive care workforce, particularly for rural and remote areas of the State; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the John A. Burns School of Medicine is encouraged to consider ways of increasing financial assistance for students who are pursuing academic programs in fields related to reproductive care; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the John A. Burns School of Medicine is requested to submit a report on its efforts to strengthen the State's reproductive care workforce to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024, including any findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Broadband Coordinator, President of the University of Hawaii, Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, and Dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Reproductive Care Workforce; JABSOM