[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1569-E1570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

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                         HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 15, 2017

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my grave concern 
with the constant attacks on women's access to reproductive health 
care.
  The women and girls currently under U.S. government custody in 
shelters, jails, and detention centers across this country who have had 
to relinquish their right to reproductive health care deserve our 
immediate attention.
  I was disheartened to see the mistreatment of women in detention and 
children at the Office of Refugee Resettlement who are being

[[Page E1570]]

systematically denied access to their Constitutional rights. The 
Constitution guarantees all women the right to access abortions and 
prohibits the government from putting an undue burden on that right. 
However, the recent case of Jane Doe litigated in Garza v. Hargan, is a 
stark reminder of just how far this administration will go to deny a 
young woman her constitutional right to access an abortion.
  Jane Doe, a 17 year old unaccompanied minor, came to the U.S. and was 
subsequently detained and placed in a government-funded shelter where 
she discovered she was pregnant. She immediately sought an abortion. 
However, she was inhumanely and unconstitutionally denied her right to 
an abortion. This administration's Office of Refugee Resettlement held 
Jane Doe hostage and barred her from leaving her shelter to access 
care, simply because the ORR Director Scott Lloyd and the 
administration disagreed with her health care choice to have an 
abortion.
  Jane Doe's case is a heartbreaking one. While I am glad to see that 
the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals stood up for the rights of Jane Doe 
in that case and allowed her access to an abortion regardless of her 
immigration status, we know Jane Doe is not alone, and fear that many 
other young women's rights are being denied by this administration.
  I have heard deeply concerning reports that the U.S. Department of 
Health & Human Services now enforces unconstitutional policies such as 
systematically counseling young women against accessing abortion. 
Similarly, there are reports of mistreatment of pregnant women and 
mothers in incarceration and detention. These reports illustrate that 
there are pregnant women sitting in solitary confinement without access 
to needed food and nourishment, women are sometimes shackled during 
labor, and others are ultimately denied adequate health care services. 
These policies and the mistreatment of women in incarceration and 
detention are simply shocking and represent a gross abuse of power by 
this administration.
  We need to know why this is happening, how often it is happening, and 
what can be done to prevent these situations. This is why thirty-one of 
my colleagues and I have requested a Government Accountability Office 
report to examine the real situation of pregnant inmates and immigrant 
detainees in order to better understand efforts taken to protect them 
and their fetus.
  This administration must stop denying women their constitutional 
rights. We must demand that this administration immediately end the 
cruel practices of intimidation and coercion, and uphold the rights 
guaranteed by the United States Constitution. This administration must 
allow young women currently in government custody access to the health 
care they need, including abortion.

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