[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 24, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Abortion

  Mr. President, now on abortion, last week, a report by ProPublica 
told a heart-wrenching story of Amber Thurman of Georgia, who died 
because abortion bans in her State prevented her from getting 
lifesaving emergency care.
  I know you are familiar with this case, Mr. President. It is the 
first known case of a woman dying because of new abortion laws in the 
wake of the MAGA Supreme Court's disastrous repeal of Roe. Doctors said 
her death was preventable.
  This was a prime example of the government interfering in lifesaving 
medical decisions--exactly what is envisioned, unfortunately, in the 
MAGA Project 2025. Sadly, as we all know, she will not be the last.
  A person's ability to receive lifesaving care, including lifesaving 
reproductive care, should never, never hinge on what State they live 
in. It should be something to which everyone in every State has a 
right.
  Georgia's case is particularly foul because Georgia has one of the 
highest maternal mortality rates in the country, which 
disproportionately affects Black Americans.
  What happened in Georgia is a direct example of how abortion bans 
continue to exacerbate the racial disparities in maternal death. 
Amber's doctors didn't perform the medical procedures they knew she 
needed because of Georgia's law. It was the law overruling their good 
medical judgment. She went into septic shock, and her heart stopped. 
All the while, doctors did everything except the medically sound 
treatment she needed.
  In our country right now, doctors are calling lawyers to ask 
permission before they treat a patient. Can you believe that? That is 
so wrong. But that is what our Republican colleagues, in their extreme 
views on women's reproductive health, have asked for.
  Today, the Senate will act on legislation to help prevent tragedies 
like Amber's death from happening again.
  First, Democrats will bring up a resolution led by Senator Murray 
that affirms the Senate's position that every person has the basic 
right to emergency healthcare, including abortion care.
  I implore every single Senator--Democrat, Republican, and 
Independent--to support this resolution. It is a simple idea that 
emergency care should be a right for all and that doctors should never 
been afraid of doing their jobs while making life-and-death decisions. 
How on Earth could anyone have a problem with that?
  Democrats will also bring up legislation by Senator Baldwin to create 
a grant program that will assist with travel-related expenses for those 
seeking an abortion. This fund will help people overcome financial 
barriers like transportation, lodging, and childcare if patients need 
to travel out of State to get the care they need and require.
  Perhaps if Amber had access to this fund and could have left Georgia, 
if she had the Federal resources to move quicker to get care, perhaps 
she would be alive today.
  I thank Senators Murray and Baldwin for leading these two important 
bills.
  If passed, they may help save lives. I am proud to support them and 
urge everyone on both sides of the aisle to do the same.
  When it comes to abortion, Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have 
kept pushing the same argument again and again--that abortion is best 
left to the States--leaving aside the fact that their end goal is a 
total abortion ban.
  The tragedy of Amber Thurman's death shows exactly why leaving 
abortion to the States is such a dangerous idea in itself. It has led 
to a dangerously inconsistent application of justice and rights. Many 
of these State legislatures are dominated, frankly, by radicals who 
don't know or care one iota about reproductive care.
  And abortion is just the start for some of those States. Some of them 
will want to police a woman's travel. They will want to prosecute 
people who help a woman receive care. They will want to jail doctors. 
That is already in the legislative ideas in many of these States. These 
are utterly delusional ideas.
  My Senate Republican colleagues say abortion should be left to the 
States. What do they have to say about States like Georgia, where 
abortion laws got someone killed? Do Republicans think this is a just 
outcome? Do they think this is an acceptable way to legislate on 
people's individual freedoms--some States saying one thing, other 
States saying something different?
  I certainly don't think so; Democrats don't think so; and the 
American people don't think so. Again, all of this is an attempt for 
MAGA Republicans to get a national abortion ban.
  I hope today, Mr. President--I hope today we can see a tiny ray of 
light amidst so much darkness when it comes to reproductive freedoms. I 
hope my colleagues on both sides support the legislation today. To say 
no--to say no--would be a cruel and heartless message to send to the 
American people.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.