[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 7, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H1270-H1271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SPEAK OUT FOR WOMEN ACROSS AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Flores). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 5, 2011, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, it's an honor to be here tonight to speak 
out for women across America who rely on contraception for their health 
and well-being. I want to emphasize the world ``health'' because at 
it's heart that's what this debate is all about.
  There has been a great deal of discussion about religion in this 
debate, but we want to use tonight to remind policymakers and Americans 
everywhere what's really at stake when we talk about contraception, and 
that's the health and well-being of millions of women and their 
families.
  Ninety-nine percent of sexually active women have used contraception, 
including 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women. More than half 
of women between the ages of 18 and 34 have struggled to afford 
contraception. It's also important to recognize 28 States already 
require contraception coverage, and 57 percent of Catholic voters 
support the new policy requiring contraception coverage.
  But today we want to move beyond statistics and tell human stories, 
the stories of women all across America who rely on contraception for a 
variety of vital health needs. Tonight I just want to share one of many 
stories I have received from women in my district. The story I want to 
share is from a young woman in my district in Chicago named Annalisa. 
Annalisa was so moved by the story of the young woman from Georgetown 
who was denied contraception to treat her ovarian cyst, she wrote me 
this letter:

       I would like to applaud your decision to walk out of the 
     one-sided talk about birth control coverage. I have a similar 
     story to that of the rejected witness' friend.
       I had my right ovary removed shortly after I turned 18 due 
     to a large cyst that not only threatened my fertility, but I 
     was told if it grew any larger it could burst and also 
     threaten my life. My left ovary also had multiple smaller 
     cysts, but they were able to be removed while leaving the 
     ovary intact.
       My doctor said I was one of the youngest with such a 
     problem, and the cyst was so large it was sent to be 
     researched. Before I was even sexually active I was 
     prescribed birth control pills to preserve my remaining ovary 
     and to take my fertility beyond the age of 18.
       It saddens me to no end that some people don't understand 
     the many uses and lifesaving abilities of birth control. I 
     hope to be a mother someday, a darned good one, and I thank 
     you for standing up for women like me.

  Well, I want to thank Annalisa for her bravery and sharing her story 
with me and allowing me to share it tonight. But Annalisa is not alone. 
Her story is the story of thousands of women around the country whose 
health relies on contraception. We will hear more stories like 
Annalisa's tonight.
  But I hope that the next time we engage in a debate about restricting 
access to contraception, we remember Annalisa and women like her, and 
we remember that for thousands of women, contraception is not a 
question of religion but a question of life and death.
  In addition to non-contraception health benefits, the contraception 
benefits of birth control cannot be understated. The simple fact is 
millions of women use birth control to delay or avoid pregnancy.
  According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists:

       A full array of family planning services is vital for 
     women's health, especially for the two-thirds of American 
     women of reproductive age who wish to avoid or postpone 
     pregnancy.

  Nearly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, and 
unintended pregnancies can have serious health consequences for women. 
For example, for some women with serious medical conditions such as 
heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, a pregnancy could be 
life threatening.
  Children born from unintended pregnancies are also at greater risk of 
poor birth outcomes such as congenital defects, low birth weight, and 
prematurity. According to the National Commission to Prevent Infant 
Mortality, 10 percent of infant deaths could be prevented if all 
pregnancies were planned.
  I want to share another story of a young woman named Katy from my 
home State of Illinois. Katy, like millions of women across the 
country, currently relies on contraception because she is pursuing her 
career and wants to do so without getting pregnant. Here's what Katy 
wrote:

       Birth control is important to me personally because I am a 
     23-year-old medical student who would be distraught if I 
     became pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I love children and 
     dream of the day that I can become

[[Page H1271]]

     a mother. That time isn't when I have $81,000 in medical 
     school debt after just 2 years of medical school. That time 
     isn't when I study for most hours of the day. That time isn't 
     when I have no job, and my only source of `income' is the 
     overpayment checks I receive for my financial aid.
       Birth control is important to me because I can't be a 
     mother right now but want to have the option in the future. 
     Birth control gives me the option to retain a somewhat normal 
     intimate life with my partner of 8 years while still 
     protecting my dreams of a future in medicine. That future 
     would be extremely hard to obtain with an infant to care for.

  Contraception has transformed our society by allowing women like Katy 
to take their own health and their own future into their own hands. 
Women have the power to decide when and how many children to have, 
which has allowed them to pursue successful careers and enter the 
workforce like never before.
  But in the end, this is not about work versus home life. This is 
about empowering women to decide for themselves. Birth control lets 
women choose their own life paths, and that's why it is vital that we 
protect it.
  I also want to remind opponents of contraception coverage that 
contraception prevents abortion. Nearly half--49 percent--of 
pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, and 42 percent of unintended 
pregnancies end in abortion. Although abortion and contraception are 
one degree removed, it is easy to see that increased use of 
contraception will reduce unintended pregnancies and, therefore, reduce 
abortion rates.
  The data shore this up as well. According to a study published in the 
American Journal of Public Health, the recent decline in pregnancy 
rates amongst American teens ``appears to be following the patterns 
observed in other developed countries, where improved contraception use 
has been the primary determinant of declining rates.''
  Teen pregnancy is at a 30-year low, due in large part to increased 
contraception use. Another recent study found that California's family-
planning program averted nearly 300,000 unintended pregnancies, 100,000 
abortions and 38,000 miscarriages.
  Finally, a Guttmacher Institute study of nationwide family planning 
programs found similar reports. According to Guttmacher:

       Publicly funded contraceptive services and supplies help 
     women in the U.S. avoid nearly 2 million unintended 
     pregnancies each year.
       In the absence of such services--from family planning 
     centers and from doctors serving Medicaid patients, estimated 
     U.S. levels of unintended pregnancy, abortion and unintended 
     birth would be nearly two-thirds higher among women overall, 
     and nearly twice as high among poor women.

  There can be no denying that contraception prevents abortion. This 
means abortion opponents should be bolstering contraception programs, 
not banning them.
  We should be able to find common ground on the issue of 
contraception--a basic health service already utilized by the vast 
majority of American women.
  I hope we can work together to expand important investments in family 
planning such as title X and Medicaid.
  And I hope we can move forward with the important new rule requiring 
coverage of contraception, to empower women, improve health, save 
lives, and reduce abortions.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________