[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 4, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H1500-H1502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE FOR WOMEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2019, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib) is 
recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of the 
majority leader.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, today's Special Order is a call for 
reproductive justice for women, those who can become pregnant and 
families everywhere who believe, as I do, that reproductive rights are 
a human right.
  This Special Order hour comes as the Supreme Court, today, considers 
yet another attack on our right as women and those who can become 
pregnant to determine what we do with our own bodies. Worse, it comes 
less than a month after Senate Majority Leader McConnell's thankfully 
failed attempt to pass, not one, but two, abortion bans.
  Never mind the 250-plus bills to reduce prescription drug costs, 
improve access to the ballot box, and more that would make a real 
difference in the lives of the American people that he could have taken 
up; instead, he tried to control women's bodies.
  The obsession with telling women, transgender folks, and nonbinary 
people what to do with their own bodies must end. The obsession with 
trying to legislate what those who can become pregnant can do and 
cannot do with their own body must end.
  I represent one of the most beautiful, most Black cities in the 
country, the city of Detroit. The issue of reproductive justice is one 
that is very much affecting Black women and women of color and 
transgender people all around the world.
  Of all female title X patients, for example, 32 percent are Latinas, 
21 percent are Black, and 4 percent are Asian American and Pacific 
Islander.
  For the 2 million transgender people in the United States, this 
funding makes access to the hormone replacement therapy and other 
transition-related care that they need very much possible for their 
health.
  How? With over 100 clinics across 17 States offering HRT, Planned 
Parenthood is one of the largest transition care providers in the 
country. This money, this funding that is often threatened by anti-
abortion rights advocates is actually a critical source of healthcare 
for these women who already face health disparities.
  Indeed, title X providers are one of the few places where women of 
color can access reproductive and preventive healthcare services. It is 
really critical in this institution, in this Chamber, that we ensure 
that those health disparities are not exacerbated by a reduction or 
revocation of that funding.
  When we talk about 20-week abortion bans, the stories illustrating 
why access to them is so important are as heartbreaking as they are 
harrowing.
  Take Jenni L. from my home State of Michigan as a perfect example. At 
her 18-week ultrasound, Jenni and her husband were given the 
devastating news that their unborn son had severe brain malfunction. 
For weeks after that appointment, she visited multiple specialists and 
genetic counselors who all gave her unborn son the same prognosis: He 
was unlikely to survive a full term. So, at 21 weeks, Jenni terminated 
her pregnancy.
  Jenni said: ``Deciding to end my much-wanted pregnancy was difficult 
and deeply sad, but also deeply personal. At no point during that 
process did I consider my legislators a part of the conversation. I 
listened to my doctors, genetic counselors, my family, and my heart.''
  Women like Jenni should absolutely have the right to listen to their 
doctors and their hearts when it comes to the health of themselves, 
their unborn children, and their bodies.
  Had the GOP had their way, Jenni would have spent the remainder of 
her pregnancy term living in fear that at any moment her son would pass 
away from this awful prognosis or the fear that she would give birth 
and watch him suffer.
  As a mother of two boys myself, I cannot imagine what Jenni went 
through or her emotional trauma as she considered or made that very 
personal choice. If she had to carry her son or not is up to her.
  She is just one story of many in which a mother, through no fault of 
her own, has had to make heartbreaking decisions about her pregnancy.
  Sadly, nearly 99 percent of abortions actually do occur before this 
deadline of 20 weeks into pregnancy, but they decide to ignore that. 
They decide to make this a political issue, and it is not. It is a 
human issue, a women's issue.
  For Jenni and the countless other mothers like her, this legislative 
body must keep their hands off of women's bodies. It is so critically 
important to know, when we talk about this issue, that it is an 
economic justice issue. It is a racial justice issue. It is 
interconnected to so much of what we fight for as women in this 
country, to have ourselves be able to make very important choices, not 
only about our jobs, with no fear of discrimination, but also about our 
health, which is so interconnected to so many other social justice 
issues that we face.

  So it is critically important that we really try to push back against 
this continued agenda that has been politicized and making the issue of 
choice and the issue of healthcare for women something that they are 
vilifying and trying to use to a process.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio-
Cortez).
  Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleagues, 
Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, for hosting this week's Special 
Order hour on an issue that is so critically important to all people 
who want healthcare and need equitable access to reproductive 
healthcare and justice in the United States.
  Right now, we are facing a critical juncture in the fight for 
healthcare and reproductive healthcare in the United States. Louisiana 
lawmakers designed a law to push abortion out of reach. It compounds 
the financial barriers of

[[Page H1501]]

people struggling to make ends meet that they already face when seeking 
care, including the decades-old Hyde amendment that has long denied 
affordable abortion care for low-income people.
  When I think about this issue and when any of us think about this 
issue, we bring our whole selves to the conversation. When I think 
about the issue of reproductive healthcare, I bring so much of my 
experience working in hospitality in restaurants.
  Working in restaurants is a front line for sexual harassment and 
sexual assault. Working as a waitress, many of my colleagues were 
sexually harassed and sexually assaulted.
  There were days when many of them did not have access to reproductive 
healthcare or even prenatal healthcare. One woman I know was pregnant 
and had no healthcare, and she had to show up at free clinics for hours 
at a hospital waiting for a new doctor every time.
  Another friend of mine that I had worked with was in an abusive 
relationship, and, as we all know, reporting rape is a very different 
issue than accessing reproductive healthcare in time.
  When we impose things like the Hyde amendment, what we say is that, 
if you are wealthy and have these conditions, you can have access to 
reproductive healthcare and an abortion, but, if you are poor, you will 
not be afforded those same issues. That is what the Hyde amendment is 
telling the American people and all people who are capable of being 
pregnant or know a person or are part of a family of someone who is 
pregnant.
  It is incredibly important that we advance and uphold issues of 
economic and racial justice for all people, regardless of their income 
and regardless of who they are.
  Right now, choice is the law of the land. That law should be extended 
to all people, and there is no reason--none--that a Democratic majority 
should uphold the Hyde amendment in the United States. We have to make 
sure that all people have access to reproductive justice and 
reproductive healthcare.
  Last, but not least, these decisions--oftentimes heart-wrenching--are 
not decisions to be made between a constituent and a legislator. It is 
a decision to be made between a person and their doctor.
  Nobody's healthcare should be up to a senator or their State 
representative to determine, no less, when so many of these bodies are 
not representative and do not contain in them people who can become 
pregnant.
  People do not understand, so many of the people writing these laws do 
not understand the scope and the breadth that economic and reproductive 
justice entails; and, to that, we have to make sure that we eliminate 
the Hyde amendment and allow all people to have access to the 
reproductive justice and healthcare that they need.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Garcia).
  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to participate in 
this conversation about women's rights and access to healthcare 
services, especially reproductive healthcare services.
  I want to thank Congresswoman Tlaib and Congresswoman Pressley for 
their leadership on this matter.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of women's access to 
reproductive healthcare.
  The Louisiana law now being argued at the Supreme Court today, in 
part, is part of an ongoing national effort to effectively ban abortion 
without formally bringing up Roe v. Wade. Even if the right to abortion 
technically exists, it won't matter if access to places to get abortion 
care are eliminated.
  Republicans have pushed hundreds of restrictive laws throughout State 
legislatures. If they truly cared about women, my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle would have voted for equal pay and for the 
Violence Against Women Act, but they didn't.
  Instead, in 2020, they are still questioning a woman's constitutional 
right to safe and legal abortion, which has been the law of the land 
for over 46 years. They want to turn back the clock and deny women the 
right to reproductive healthcare, to make choices about their own 
bodies.
  For many in my community, this is a deeply personal matter. I took a 
strong stance on reproductive rights before the issue was widely 
discussed and acceptable in my own community, but, for me, it has 
always been impossible to separate the issues of economic justice and 
reproductive freedom.
  The ability to control if, when, and how to have children is at the 
core of women's ability to provide a decent standard of living for 
themselves and their families.
  But let me be clear: While abortion access is critical, women of 
color and other marginalized women also often have difficulty accessing 
contraception, comprehensive sex education, sexually transmitted 
infection prevention and care, adequate prenatal and pregnancy care, 
and so much more. In short, one's socioeconomic and immigration status, 
ZIP Code, et cetera, should not determine access to reproductive help.
  Abortion access is a critical step toward achieving true reproductive 
justice for the communities I represent. If the Supreme Court decides 
to strip women of their practical access to abortion services, as they 
are now considering, they will effectively reverse Roe v. Wade and 
outright deny women the ability to determine their own health, family, 
and future.

                              {time}  1745

  This is an assault on women, an assault on freedom, and an assault on 
self-determination. Women alone should have the right to choose what is 
best for them.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State 
of California (Mr. Lowenthal).
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues, 
Representatives Tlaib and Pressley, for yielding and allowing me to 
speak.
  As we all know, this morning the Supreme Court heard the oral 
arguments in Medical Services v. Russo, a case that challenges the 
unconstitutional abortion restrictions in Louisiana. The Louisiana law 
would require abortion providers to obtain admitting privileges at a 
hospital within 30 miles or else they must stop providing care.
  Let's be clear what this is about. This restrictive law is meant to 
eliminate access to abortion care. In fact, if this law were allowed to 
stand, all but one of Louisiana's abortion clinics would be shut down.
  This should be a straightforward decision for the Supreme Court. 
Three years ago, the Court struck down an identical Texas law in Whole 
Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt.
  Americans overwhelmingly support abortion access. Nearly 80 percent 
of Americans do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Polling 
consistently shows that there is not a single State in the Union where 
residents want to outlaw abortion. Not one.
  Reproductive rights are central to individual liberties. What we are 
talking about are deeply personal decisions that should remain up to 
the woman, not be decided by politicians. These rights enable women to 
decide if or if not and how they should start to grow their family. 
This right should be an absolute right and solely up to women to make 
their own decisions about their health and their future, and we should 
respect them for making that decision.
  Reproductive rights also allow women to control their economic 
security and make the best choices for themselves and their families. 
It is not our place--any of us--to decide whether a woman should or 
should not get an abortion.
  Abortion remains one of the safest outpatient medical procedures. 
However, placing the burden of admitting privileges on abortion 
providers threatens the safety of these procedures. Nearly every 
professional medical association has said having admitting procedures 
will not make women safer.
  But let's be honest. We know there is no medical reason for these 
outrageously restrictive laws. There are only political reasons behind 
these moves. Admitting privileges, as we know, are often difficult for 
abortion providers to obtain, solely because of the ideological 
opposition to abortion.
  Therefore, it is imperative that we protect individual liberties and 
that we protect reproductive rights and reproductive education in order 
to build healthy communities.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Pressley for her 
incredible leadership on this important

[[Page H1502]]

issue across the world and not just here in the United States.
  Also, this has been a wonderful experience for all of us new Members 
to experience a Special Order that has been coordinated and created by 
the Congressional Progressive Caucus to help many of us be able to give 
a voice to many folks at home.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. 
Pressley) for closing remarks.
  Ms. PRESSLEY. Again, I thank Representative Tlaib for cohosting the 
Special Order hour. This is a joint Special Order hour in partnership 
with the Congressional Progressive Caucus and also the Pro-Choice 
Caucus. It is exciting that we are the first pro-choice majority 
Congress in the history of Congress.
  As heartened as I am by those who come here to speak, support, to 
affirm our reproductive rights and freedoms, it is shameful that our 
reproductive rights are even up for debate. It is 2020. Support for 
abortion access is at an all-time high. In fact, nearly 80 percent of 
Americans do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. There is not a 
single State in the Nation where making abortion illegal is popular. 
But here we find ourselves having to fight back against these insidious 
efforts to undermine our reproductive rights and freedoms, and we just 
keep pushing.
  Just last month the House passed legislation to move us one step 
closer to ratifying the ERA. So we will just keep speaking out, 
organizing, and mobilizing when it comes to equality and justice on all 
fronts. I am glad to see so many of our colleagues here tonight pushing 
back against these draconian efforts that want to take us backwards. We 
won't stand for it--not now, not ever.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good colleague from Massachusetts 
for her incredible, much-needed voice here in this Chamber.
  As we all know, this Sunday is International Women's Day. So let's 
celebrate all the women all over the world who stand up for what they 
believe in, who speak truth to power, and who fight for their 
communities as activists, voters, candidates, and elected officials.
  This International Women's Day I want to uplift an issue that is 
personal to me and so many of my sisters in service. Violence against 
women in politics is a global problem. Research shows that women around 
the world are subjected to physical, sexual, economic, and 
psychological violence for choosing to participate in politics. When I 
say around the world, I also mean here in the United States.
  As one of the first Muslim women in Congress, my family and I face 
constant death threats and harassment. But this will not stop me from 
fighting and being a voice for 13 District Strong. But let's be clear. 
Harassment, abuse, and assault are not the cost of doing politics.
  Women deserve to have their voices heard. They deserve a seat at the 
table. So this Sunday for International Women's Day let's finally 
commit to stopping violence against women in politics.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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