[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 142 (Wednesday, September 30, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H6711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    21ST CENTURY WOMEN'S HEALTH ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the 21st Century Women's 
Health Act to increase access to reproductive health care and to 
provide compassionate care to survivors of sexual assault.
  Funding for the government runs out in a matter of hours. Rather than 
crafting a bipartisan solution on the Nation's budget, House leadership 
has been focusing on denying women their right to make their own 
healthcare decisions.
  This is 2015. We should be doing all we can to increase access to 
health care for women. We should not be rolling back women's rights and 
cutting access to lifesaving cancer and preventative health screenings 
for women, men, and youth across the country.
  As a mother, a daughter, and a Member of Congress, I understand the 
value of increasing access to health care for women; and that is why I 
am proud to introduce the 21st Century Women's Health Act, with my 
colleagues Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congresswoman Diana DeGette, and 
with our leadership of our ally in the Senate, Senator Patty Murray 
from Washington.
  This comprehensive bill will increase access to preventative health 
services and contraception for low-income women, and it will help women 
report instances of inappropriate charges for birth control, a problem 
that affects too many women across the country. It will also expand the 
primary care workforce and ensure that survivors of sexual assault are 
provided with free emergency contraception and compassionate care.
  I want my daughter and every woman in this country to live in a place 
where they have access to affordable healthcare providers like Planned 
Parenthood, a full range of reproductive choices, and, most 
importantly, the ability to make their own healthcare decisions.
  Colleagues, I grew up before Roe v. Wade, and I know what our country 
looks like when women don't have access to a full range of reproductive 
healthcare options. We know that if abortion is restricted, it does not 
go away.
  Let us not return to a time when women had to seek care in the 
shadows or the back alleys. Let us come together to prevent unwanted 
pregnancies, and let us champion our march forward toward a more equal 
society with the introduction of the 21st Century Women's Health Act.
  I urge my colleagues to join me as cosponsors, and I look forward to 
working toward the passage of this important bill.

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