[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4022-H4023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PROTECTING RIGHT TO CHOOSE

  (Mr. MORELLE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MORELLE. Madam Speaker, as States like Alabama move forward 
implementing medieval laws that seek to imprison doctors and punish 
women for their personal healthcare decisions, I want to make one thing 
absolutely clear: I will always stand up and defend a woman's 
fundamental right to choose.
  These near-total bans on abortion are not only unconstitutional, but 
they also endanger the lives of countless women who will be forced to 
turn to unsafe procedures.
  In 1930, illegal abortion was listed as the official cause of death 
for almost 2,700 women, nearly 20 percent of maternal deaths recorded 
that year.
  We have come too far in the fight for women's equality to retreat to 
an era when women lacked the basic right to autonomy over their own 
bodies.
  My district of Rochester, New York, is the proud home of Susan B. 
Anthony. Today, we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th 
Amendment, but the fight for women's rights is far from over.
  We must remain resolute in our commitment to protecting and upholding 
Roe v. Wade. We must support critical

[[Page H4023]]

healthcare programs like Planned Parenthood. We must ensure that every 
single woman across America has the right to make her own decisions.

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