[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                   REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM FOR WOMEN ACT

  Ms. BUTLER. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
strong support of the Reproductive Freedom for Women Act. I would like 
to start by thanking Leader Schumer for bringing this to the floor and 
Senator Murray for always showing up as a fierce champion for women's 
right to make their own reproductive health care decisions.
  This commonsense approach affirms the right to abortion access and 
emphasizes the need to restore and strengthen the protections formerly 
enshrined in Roe v. Wade.
  This should not be controversial--not when 28 million women in 21 
States face ever-growing risks due to a lack of reproductive care 
options where they live; not when healthcare providers throughout our 
country have become the target of extremist legislators, who seek to 
punish those who deliver lifesaving care and treatments to their 
patients; not when our sons and daughters face a future where they are 
afforded fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers.
  We are living in a moment where patients' power to govern their own 
bodies is being snatched out of their hands and seized by far-right 
leaders in State courts and legislatures who won't quit until they have 
established a national abortion ban.
  Ever since the Supreme Court issued it's devastating Dobbs decision, 
reversing nearly 50 years of settled law, these politicians have pulled 
every lever to put reproductive health care out of reach--on everything 
from IVF to contraception.
  But while these extremists have worked nonstop to restrict 
reproductive freedom, they have been challenged at nearly every turn. 
The Biden-Harris administration and leaders in this Chamber have used 
every tool possible to stand in strong opposition to those who seek to 
turn back the clock and drag our Nation backwards.
  Legislation like the Women's Health Protection Act, the Right to 
Contraception Act, the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act, and 
numerous others take considerable steps to safeguard reproductive 
freedom across the board.
  I am proud to serve more than 40 million Californians in a State 
where reproductive rights and protections have been advanced and 
strengthened.
  While California has been a champion on this front, patients in 
neighboring States like Arizona have experienced extreme shifts in 
their reproductive rights following the Dobbs decision.
  Two weeks ago, I chaired a Judiciary Subcommittee field hearing in 
Phoenix, AZ, to examine the ever-changing landscape of abortion rights 
in our Nation. During this hearing, I heard from advocates, patients, 
and providers, who were all directly affected by the Dobbs decision.
  One witness included Dr. Misha Pangasa, a board-certified 
obstetrician and gynecologist who provides full spectrum reproductive 
health care in Phoenix. In her testimony, Dr. Pangasa spoke about the 
upheaval she has witnessed on the ground.
  Regarding her patients, she stated, ``They wonder whether tomorrow, 
next week, or next month they will still have options if faced with a 
pregnancy complication. They wonder if I will be able to care for them, 
or have to send them to another state if they find themselves in a 
situation in which abortion is right for them.
  ``They wonder whether I'll even be allowed to counsel them through 
all their options, or if I'll be threatened with a lawsuit or prison 
time for even bringing up the possibility of abortion, like providers 
in other states have been. I see and hear their fear about the future 
every day.''
  Stories from people like Dr. Pangasa demonstrate the urgency for 
Congress to pass legislation to protect a woman's right to choose. 
Surveys show that 8 in 10 Americans believe the government shouldn't 
meddle in patients' reproductive health. The bill introduced by Leader 
Schumer and Senator Murray supports the American majority's position, 
so I urge my colleagues to join me in getting this across the finish 
line.

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