[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 20, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H6887-H6888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DEFENDING WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, the United States Supreme Court decision 
in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to uphold the 
Mississippi Gestational Age Act and overrule the Court's prior decision 
in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. 
Casey, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion upheld for 
nearly half a century no longer exists, ripped away women's right to 
make their own reproductive healthcare decisions.
  Nationwide, radical Republicans were prepared to immediately charge 
ahead with measures to take away the freedom of choice. In Congress, 
Republicans are plotting a nationwide ban to criminalize abortion, and 
State legislatures are advancing the extremist agenda to criminalize 
reproductive health decisions, including new laws to arrest doctors and 
punish women and those who provide aid. Far-right politicians are 
actively working to dismantle the legal protections afforded to women 
and invading their bodily autonomy rights.
  For centuries, women have fought tenaciously for their fundamental 
human rights and we will not stop. On July 18, 1848, 174 years and 2 
days ago, the first women's rights convention in the United States was 
held in Seneca Falls, New York. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 was 
the first platform for women to discuss their civil, social, and 
religious rights and challenge their inferior status. Feminist leaders 
and women across the country courageously voiced their collective 
struggles and petitioned for change.
  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an ardent activist and leader, presented the 
``Declaration of Sentiments,'' demanding the same rights and freedoms 
that the Declaration of Independence granted to men at that time. The 
Seneca Falls Convention was a cornerstone of the women's suffragette 
movement and paved the path for women's rights movements.

[[Page H6888]]

  Today, women's freedoms are under attack, and the consequences will 
reverberate as radical Republicans continue to push their political 
agenda and curtail basic rights. My Democratic colleagues and I remain 
unwavering in our commitment to defend the legal rights of women and 
families to make independent decisions about their futures by 
safeguarding access to reproductive healthcare services.
  This week, House Democrats will vote to pass H.R. 8373, the Right to 
Contraception Act, guaranteeing the right to obtain and use 
contraception as established in Griswold v. Connecticut.
  The alarming, extremist act of judicial activism in Dobbs v. Jackson 
has created a dangerous blueprint for future attacks on our most 
cherished rights. As an attorney who is a strict constructionist 
myself, this cannot stand. In his concurring opinion overturning Roe v. 
Wade, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that in future cases 
the Court should consider substantive due process precedents which 
legalized the right for married couples to buy and use contraception 
without government restrictions, same-sex relationships, and marriage 
equality. Calling into question the constitutional right to use 
contraception is dangerous for American women and families, as well as 
men, but also has the potential to disproportionately impact women of 
historically marginalized communities who face health disparities at 
higher rates.
  Access to contraception can affect all aspects of a woman's life, 
including educational attainment, employment opportunities, healthcare, 
and economic success. The Right to Contraception Act recognizes the 
social, political, and economic impacts on our country and takes steps 
to protect Americans' right to make their own decisions about their 
health and their families.
  The Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs further emphasizes the need to 
act now, to protect access to contraception, and women's right to make 
reproductive health decisions. Contraception is essential to the health 
and rights of individuals. Women deserve the right to make informed 
decisions about their health, family planning, and future. It is 2022. 
We should not still be fighting for rights that are essential to basic 
health and bodily autonomy. Pass this legislation.

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