[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 80 (Thursday, May 31, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E935-E936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PRENATAL NONDISCRIMINATION ACT (PRENDA) OF 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 30, 2012

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, there are few things that anger me 
more than when Members of this body claim that a piece of legislation 
will accomplish something that it simply will not accomplish. That is 
certainly the case with H.R. 3541--a bill that my friends on the other 
side of the aisle claim will prevent sex-selection abortions and will 
ensure that the United States does not become a supposed ``safe-haven'' 
for women seeking an abortion based on the sex of the pregnancy.
  The issue of sex-selection is a very real issue in different nations 
around the globe. However, even leading international health experts in 
this field agree that the solution does not lie in criminalizing the 
practice, which would only keep it behind closed doors. The solution 
lies in addressing the social, economic, political and cultural factors 
that create, sustain and exacerbate sex inequality in the first place; 
the very inequalities that lead to sex-selection in the first place.
  Unfortunately, this bill will not achieve any of the claims from my 
friends on the other side of the aisle and this will certainly will 
nothing to reduce sex discrimination and gender inequality.
  What this bill will do, however, is to exacerbate the unfortunate 
impacts of sex discrimination and gender inequality by leading to 
greater stigmatization of women and especially Asian-American women who 
exercise their choice and control over their reproductive lives. And, 
there is nothing about that suggests or reflects any intention or hope 
of fighting back against gender discrimination. What this bill also 
will do is to restrict access to legal and safe abortion services, 
violate the very-important doctor-patient relationship and needlessly 
threaten healthcare providers with civil and criminal liability unless 
they report any suspicions they have about a woman's reason for 
exercising her right as a human being to control her body.
  It is evident that this legislation has nothing to do with empowering 
women here or around

[[Page E936]]

the globe nor does it have anything to do with ensuring that women who 
are faced with a very, very difficult decision have access to the 
safest care possible. More evident is that this bill is just another 
attempt to challenge Roe v. Wade and achieve an outright ban on all 
abortion services.
  As a Member of Congress and a physician who has worked tirelessly to 
eliminate all health disparities those along racial and ethnic, 
geographic and gender lines I cannot and will not support any policy 
that I know will not improve the health, wellness and thus life 
opportunities of those who often are marginalized and on the down side 
of opportunity, access and privilege. And so, I cannot and will not 
support any bill that will not improve the lives of women and girls by 
expanding their reliable access to safe and appropriate comprehensive 
health care--including reproductive health care and by ensuring gender 
equality across all facets of their lives, from at work to in the 
classroom.
  And so, I strongly encourage my colleagues not to support H.R. 3541. 
The issue of sex-selection is a very serious challenge, and serious 
challenges warrant serious, effective solutions. This bill certainly is 
not that!
  We have a chance to stop in its tracks a bill that could worsen the 
health disparities that affect women, and that give rise to unsafe, 
often-lethal back-alley abortions.
  Let's stop this bill; let's do so now; and let's go back to the table 
and develop a thoughtful bill that addresses the root causes the sex 
discrimination and gender inequalities that leave millions of talented 
girls and women on the downside of opportunity and hope.

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