[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 207 (Wednesday, December 1, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H6722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PROTECTING WOMEN'S FREEDOMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, people sometimes ask me 
what was the greatest moment in my life. I have had a lot of great 
moments, but I will say three. The first was the birth of my son, Ben, 
and I would say the next two were the birth of my grandchildren, Ivo 
and Bruno.
  The decision for me to bring Ben into the world, the decision to 
raise a child, that was a personal decision made by me and my husband, 
and we didn't have to call a Governor, we didn't call a State 
legislator, we didn't call our Member of Congress and say, hey, is it 
time?
  Mr. Speaker, I stand here to talk about freedom, freedom of everyone 
to have the right to make that very, very personal decision of whether 
or not to bring a child into the world, because we know the raising of 
a child brings so many blessings but also great responsibility. None of 
us really know the individual circumstances of other people.
  I raise that point today, Mr. Speaker, because as I stand here in the 
Chamber, across the street at the United States Supreme Court, the 
Court is hearing a case about a law in Mississippi that would 
effectively overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that has given women the 
right to access abortion for the past 50 years.
  That Mississippi law is an effort by Republican legislatures, and in 
this case the Mississippi legislature, to ban abortion. It is about 
politicians controlling women's bodies. It is about politicians taking 
away the personal decision of people to access the healthcare that they 
need.
  Mr. Speaker, as I stand here today and have trepidation whether or 
not the Supreme Court is going to uphold this right to access to 
abortion, it is a clarion call for the United States Senate across the 
hall to take up and pass the Women's Health Protection Act, which we 
passed here in the House. That act would forever protect a woman's 
right to access a safe, legal abortion. Let freedom ring.

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