[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 8, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Women's Healthcare

  Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, as Mother's Day approaches, I rise to join 
my Democratic colleagues in sharing our constituents' stories about the 
importance of protecting women's access to healthcare.
  No matter where they live and no matter their economic status, women 
in our country deserve access to comprehensive preventive care and 
family planning services that will enable them to stay healthy and to 
thrive. We know centers like Planned Parenthood have made a huge 
difference in the lives of the women they serve. My office recently 
heard from a woman named Ashley from Hooksett, who said:

       I am safe, healthy, and educated thanks to Planned 
     Parenthood.

  She continues speaking about Planned Parenthood:

       When I was fifteen, they were there to help me understand 
     the changes that my body was going through and provide me 
     with the information I needed to keep myself healthy and 
     protected.
       Throughout the rest of my teenage years, I have trusted 
     Planned Parenthood to provide me with all of my routine 
     healthcare procedures.

  Ashley continues:

       In more desperate times, they were there to explain my 
     options and support my decisions with anonymity and 
     compassion.

  Ashley goes on to say:

       I am deeply concerned about the Title 10 gag rule and the 
     implications it may have on my getting the care I need.
       I'm thankful for elected officials who are fighting back 
     and speaking out for me and the thousands of people like me 
     who deserve access to quality, affordable care, no matter 
     their income or zip code.

  Ashley's story is one of thousands that speak to the importance of 
title X-supported health centers, including Planned Parenthood, which 
are a major source of preventive care and reproductive health services, 
including cancer screenings, birth control, HIV and STI tests, and 
counseling services.
  In New Hampshire, title X-funded centers deliver care to nearly 
18,000 Granite Staters annually, and title X-supported Planned 
Parenthood centers serve 60 percent of those 18,000 Granite Staters. 
This is why the Trump administration's actions to discriminate against 
providers and to cut investments in family planning clinics are so 
dangerous, and it is why we have to keep fighting for women like 
Ashley, who are rightfully concerned about this constant barrage of 
attacks on healthcare.
  I am going to continue standing with my Democratic colleagues on 
behalf of women's constitutionally protected rights and against the 
Trump administration's partisan attacks on women's access to 
healthcare.