[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.