[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 11, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H4807-H4808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SUPPORTING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO ABORTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. DelBene) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. DelBENE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of a woman's 
constitutional right to an abortion.
  Last week, the Nation got a shocking glimpse into the nightmare 
scenario many of us have feared for months. The dangerous draft Supreme 
Court opinion would overrule nearly 50 years of legal precedent by 
overturning Roe v. Wade.
  This decision would not only reverse Roe, but it mocks it and all 
those who have defended this fundamental right for half a century.
  Should this ruling become final, it will represent the culmination of 
a decades-long effort by Republicans to undermine the basic human 
rights of millions of Americans, their privacy, and their bodily 
autonomy. It breaks my heart that my daughter might soon have fewer 
rights than I did at her age.
  While the draft from the Court would send the question on abortion 
access back to the States, where over half of women and girls of 
reproductive age could face immediate bans or limits to this basic 
medical care, I have no doubt that anti-abortion activists will not 
stop there.
  Republican Governors and State legislators are moving swiftly to pass 
new abortion bans and restrictions so that they are ready for a final 
ruling in a few weeks.
  Even more terrifying, the Republican leader in the Senate 
acknowledged that, should they gain control of Congress, they will 
pursue a nationwide abortion ban. This would be an alarming new level 
of government interference in the private lives of Americans.
  The disdain and disrespect for women are palpable throughout the 
draft decision, and we cannot allow our country that was founded on 
freedom and liberty to fall backward.
  Americans see this draft for what it is: blatantly political. Nothing 
in my lifetime would threaten the legitimacy of the Court more than 
finalizing this decision.
  Justice Sotomayor called this out during oral argument when she said: 
``Will this institution survive the stench that this creates in the 
public perception that the Constitution and its reading are just 
political acts? I don't see how it is possible.''
  Reading this document reminded me of a mother in my district. She has 
two healthy children and then became pregnant with a third. The 
pregnancy was challenging and ultimately threatened her life. She was 
put in the impossible position of terminating the pregnancy for her own 
health.
  Fortunately, she lived in Washington State, where we have a law that 
protects the right to an abortion. If she lived in a State without 
abortion access, her only option would have been to take time off work, 
find childcare, and make a costly journey to a State where she could 
get this procedure. This is a burden that many women of color, low-
income women, and women living with domestic violence simply cannot 
bear.
  I ask everyone to put yourself in this woman's shoes and ask yourself 
what you would do if a pregnancy threatened your life. I also ask you 
to put yourself in the shoes of a woman who became pregnant after being 
raped and is still expected to carry the baby to term, as would be the 
case in many States should this decision go forward. These are the 
decisions I fear too many women in this country will soon be forced to 
make.
  My colleagues on the other side who have pushed for this outcome for 
decades call themselves pro-life, but I couldn't disagree more. A pro-
life party would support children and their mothers; pro-life would 
support more affordable and accessible childcare; pro-life would 
support paid family and medical leave.
  They have voted time and time again to repeal the Affordable Care 
Act, which prohibits women from being charged more for the same health 
coverage or insurance companies from deciding a pregnancy is a 
preexisting condition. Every single one of my Republican colleagues 
voted against expanding the child tax credit, which in just 6 months 
lifted 3.7 million children out of poverty and was a historic tax cut 
for middle-class families. It is their actions that have brought us to 
this moment.
  Finally, this is also an economic issue for women and families. As 
Treasury Secretary Yellen said recently: ``Eliminating the right of 
women to make decisions about when and whether to have children would 
have very damaging effects on the economy and set women back decades.''
  This is a woman's decision. I will keep fighting until we pass the 
Women's Health Protection Act and enshrine this constitutional right 
into law once and for all.

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