[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               E-FREE ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to tell the story of Sabrina 
Fregoso of Diamond Springs, California. Sabrina is one of the tens of 
thousands of women harmed by the permanent sterilization device Essure.
  In August of 2012, Sabrina welcomed her fourth child, at which time 
she discussed permanent sterilization with her physician. Her doctor 
recommended Essure and assured her that the procedure was safe.
  Immediately following the Essure procedure, Sabrina began to notice a 
consistent and substantial decline in her health, including losing 
control of her bowels, extensive weight gain, severe bloating, hair 
loss, and sores covering her body. Her lower back, hips, and leg joints 
became painful. She experienced numbness in her feet and sharp heel 
pain that made it difficult to walk.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise again as their voice to tell this Chamber 
that their stories are real, their pain is real, and their fight is 
real.
  My bill, the E-Free Act, can halt this tragedy by removing this 
dangerous device from the market. I urge my colleagues to join in this 
fight because stories like Sabrina's are too important to ignore.

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