[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S416-S417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Abortion

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to continue to 
raise the alarm about how Republicans' extreme, ongoing attacks on 
reproductive rights are putting women's lives at risk, are trampling 
the will of the American people, who supported the right to abortion, 
by the way, everywhere it was on the ballot last November, and are even 
undermining care for patients in States like mine, which have strong 
abortion protections.
  In fact, right now, a truly extreme lawsuit, which some far-right 
Republicans in Congress just filed a brief supporting, is seeking to 
overturn the FDA's longstanding approval of a safe and effective 
medication used in abortion care. This suit could cause chaos 
nationwide and rip abortion medication away from patients in every 
single State, potentially even from my constituents in Washington 
State.
  I have been clear that the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year was 
not the end of the fight to protect reproductive rights. Unfortunately, 
it was just the starting gun for even more extreme attacks from far-
right Republicans. We have already seen 14 extreme State abortion bans 
go into effect--from bans that set bounties for information about 
anyone who gets an

[[Page S417]]

abortion or helps to provide one to bans that even lack exceptions for 
rape and incest and the life and well-being of moms. Some States are 
even passing new bans to try and get around State courts that block 
their first ones or laws to get around the fact that their own 
constituents backed the right to abortion in a statewide vote last 
year.
  Here in Congress, we saw Senate Republicans introduce a national 
abortion ban last year, and it was one of the first things the 
Republican House voted on this year. We are still seeing new, appalling 
proposals from extreme Republicans across the country.
  While Republicans here in Congress blocked our bill to make sure 
doctors cannot be jailed for providing an abortion, Republican State 
legislators have drafted bills to make sure women can be prosecuted for 
getting an abortion.
  While Republicans in Congress blocked our bill to protect the right 
to travel across State lines for an abortion, State lawmakers have 
bills to stop employers from helping employees travel for an abortion.
  Right next door to my home State, there is a bill in Idaho that could 
lead to parents and grandparents being charged with human trafficking 
for helping minors travel out of State so they can get an abortion. 
That is appalling.
  Republican politicians have investigated a doctor for providing care 
to a child who was raped. They have proposed funding to jail people for 
abortions. They have talked about using existing child endangerment 
laws to prosecute women who use abortion pills. They have made it 
harder for patients to get birth control and even the treatments they 
need for life-threatening illnesses, like cancer.
  There are Republican attorneys general suing, right now, because the 
Biden administration told pharmacists they can't discriminate against 
pregnant patients and because the administration reminded care 
providers that, when a woman's life is at stake, they are required by 
Federal law to provide the necessary care, and that includes abortion.
  Then there is the case I mentioned earlier, whereby a far-right group 
is trying, right now, to ban mifepristone, an important abortion 
medication, nationwide, and I mean all across the country, including in 
my home State of Washington and in every other State that has strong 
protections for abortion. There are 22 Republican attorneys general and 
67 Republicans right here in Congress who have filed briefs in support 
of that outlandish lawsuit.
  Now, let's be clear about what is going on here. In this lawsuit, 
these far-right extremists are asking one district judge to overrule 
the FDA's experts and rulemaking authority in order to undermine 
healthcare for patients nationwide by declaring a drug that was 
approved over 20 years ago as unsafe.
  Let's set the record straight right now because there has been so 
much misinformation on this, including from Republican Members of 
Congress.
  Mifepristone is safe, and it is effective for ending a pregnancy 
during the first 10 weeks. The FDA determined that decades ago. The 
science is done. The results are in. They have been for over 20 years. 
Mifepristone is safe. This lawsuit is not about science; it is about 
ideology. It is not about protecting women; it is about controlling 
their bodies.
  The reality of what extreme Republicans have already caused with 
their abhorrent bans is a nightmare. Because of Republican bans, women 
facing miscarriages have already been unable to get the care they need 
for days on end. They have already been left bleeding, getting sicker 
and sicker, and pleading for help. Doctors are already being forced to 
compromise medical care, leave patients in pain, and even forgo 
providing lifesaving care because they fear far-right politicians will 
jail them for doing their job. Abortion providers in States like mine 
are already overworked, overbooked, and overwhelmed with patients who 
have had to wait weeks and travel hundreds of miles to get an abortion 
because of Republican bans. This lawsuit will make things much worse.
  Mifepristone is used in over half of the abortions. Taking that drug 
away would mean fewer options for women, longer waits for people who 
are seeking care, stress for patients and providers, and chaos for a 
healthcare system that Republicans have already put in crisis.
  It is cruel and utterly unnecessary. There is no reason for this.
  You don't have to take my word for this, by the way. Listen to 
doctors and patients, and listen to women, because that is exactly what 
I have been doing.
  I am not going to stop. I am going to continue to make sure their 
stories are being heard, especially when they are hard stories to hear, 
because we will not be quiet. I am going to continue to be their voice 
and vote here in the Senate, and I am going to keep putting a spotlight 
on their concerns and on the threats to their health, like these 
extreme abortion bans and ideology abortion lawsuits. I am going to be 
here, raising the alarm, fighting to pass commonsense legislation to 
protect our rights, being a firewall against extreme Republican attacks 
against abortion, and working, meanwhile, to build the support we need 
to restore Roe once and for all.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, before I speak on what brings me to the 
floor, let me thank Chair Murray for her incredible advocacy on behalf 
of not just the women of her State and not just the women of my State 
but of women and their families all across the United States of 
America. I want to say how grateful I am.
  Thank you.