Conservatives Unite Against D.C.’s Abortion Sanctuary Amendment

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., introduced legislation Wednesday targeting abortion providers who exploit a legal safe harbor in Washington, D.C. to avoid accountability for procedures banned in their home states.

The proposed “D.C. Shield Law Repeal Act” would undo the Human Rights Sanctuary Amendment Act of 2022 passed by the D.C. Council. This act currently protects individuals and abortion providers from being prosecuted or extradicted out of other states, shielding them for activities including performing abortions and distributing gender hormone drugs.

“We cannot allow the Left’s woke ideology,” under the guise of “bodily autonomy,” to infiltrate our states through these loopholes,” Clyde stated. “Congress must use its constitutional authority over D.C. to hold medical practitioners legally responsible.”

In a related move, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is advancing companion legislation in the Senate aimed at achieving similar results.

“The nation’s capital should not be a refuge for those who harm children or endanger Americans,” Lee commented. “Criminals performing illegal abortions here can escape prosecution because D.C. laws don’t allow forced return to states where such acts are criminalized.”

The new law creates an exception: individuals providing abortion services within the city but knowing they would be breaking state laws elsewhere could now face charges in D.C.

This effort builds on a pattern seen since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, with numerous conservative jurisdictions seeking measures to ensure consistent enforcement against abortion providers operating across state lines who violate their local ordinances.