[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E6]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RE-INTRODUCTION OF THE LOUISE MCINTOSH SLAUGHTER

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                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 3, 2001

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to reintroduce the Women's 
Right to Know Act in the 107th Congress. This bill ensures that so-
called ``gag rules'' upon women's access to information about 
reproductive health care are not imposed by the states or the federal 
government in the future.
  First imposed during the Reagan and Bush Administrations by executive 
order, the gag rule denied federal funds for any health care clinic 
whose employees counseled, referred, or discussed terminating a 
pregnancy in any way. If they did so, the clinic's funding could be 
rescinded. Congressional efforts to overturn these executive orders 
were vetoed.
  Thankfully, President Clinton revoked the gag rule as his first order 
of business in 1993. While this marked major progress towards better 
health care for women on a federal level, it did not prevent individual 
states from imposing statewide gag rules. Currently two states, 
Missouri and Colorado, have gag rules--with Pennsylvania's state senate 
having considered and narrowly defeated a similar law in May 2000. With 
statewide ``gag rules'' on the rise, the threat of a federal ``gag 
rule'' being reimplemented looms on the horizon.
  Contrary to the predictions of many gag rule supporters, abortion 
rates have not been linked to a reversal of this federal policy. In 
fact, abortion facts actually declined to a twenty year low in 1997 
with record drops in teen pregnancy.
  Leaving the gag rule to the power of executive order is playing 
Russian roulette with women's reproductive health. We must intensify 
our efforts to safeguard a women's access to full reproductive options 
and prevent the gag rule from ever being imposed again. For the 
government to withhold information about reproductive health care in a 
violation of our democratic principles and an unconscionable act 
against the people it intends to serve.
  The Women's Right to Know Act ensures that gag rules will not be 
imposed by the states or the federal government in the future. This 
legislation states that no state or federal government entity may limit 
the right of any health care provider to supply, or any person to 
receive, factual information about reproductive health services, 
including family planning, prenatal care, adoption, or abortion.
  The government has no right to interfere with private health care 
decisions. I therefore urge my colleagues to support this legislation 
and allow Americans to have access to complete, factual information so 
that can make informed decisions about their health care.

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