[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3047-S3048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 177

  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, today, I join millions of Americans 
commemorating the Dobbs Supreme Court decision anniversary. We are 
united in two simple truths: Abortion is not a constitutional right, 
but life is. And life is a gift worth protecting. Each and every one of 
us was given this gift.
  When we honor the dignity of every human being, we give them a chance 
to become loving sons and daughters, neighbors, and leaders.
  This is not a political issue for me; it is deeply personal. Few 
things have brought me greater joy than when I first became a mother 
and, more recently, a grandmother. Holding my daughter and my grandson 
and watching them grow are memories I will always cherish. I want to 
protect and preserve this same experience for young mothers everywhere.
  Last month, Stephanie, a constituent in Iowa, entrusted me with her 
story about the lasting effects of her abortion experience. With her 
permission, I am sharing her account, including the loss of her unborn 
child.

       My daughter Lily died during an abortion procedure at 21 
     weeks. At the time, I was a young girl in crisis, frightened 
     and unequipped to understand the full consequences of what I 
     would experience afterwards. The effects did not end with the 
     procedure itself. They affected me psychologically, 
     emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
       At 17, I had very little language or support to help me 
     understand those effects. I believe many women face similar 
     trauma without diagnoses, treatment, or meaningful follow-up 
     care. In the years since, I have experienced PTSD symptoms, 
     grief, and significant emotional and hormonal changes after 
     losing my child.

  My concern extends beyond my own experience. There appears to be too 
little long-term follow-up care, too little research into women's post-
abortion outcomes, and too little screening for trauma before and after 
abortion procedures, especially later term abortions.
  Women should be better informed about possible mental, physical, and 
emotional effects and should have access to appropriate care when those 
effects arise.
  On this solemn note, there is no doubt we can do better by women and 
mothers-to-be, and that is what my Protect Funding for Women's 
Healthcare Act is all about. My Protect Funding for Women's Healthcare 
Act prohibits taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood. 
Instead, the bill redirects those funds to women's healthcare providers 
and ensures no reduction in Federal funding for women's health 
services.
  As I continue to protect the life-changing experience of becoming a 
mother, I want mothers and families to know that they are supported in 
pregnancy and beyond no matter their situation.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions be discharged and the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of S. 177. Further, I ask unanimous consent 
that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the 
motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I rise 
today to object to the Senator from Iowa's legislation, which would 
defund Planned Parenthood--defund Planned Parenthood and prevent 
millions of men and women across the country from being able to access 
the healthcare which they need.
  This bill, which targets the largest provider of reproductive care in 
this country, is part of my Republican colleagues' relentless efforts 
to undermine reproductive rights and further erode the health, the 
freedom, and the dignity of the American people.
  Four years ago this week, the Supreme Court issued its Dobbs 
decision, tearing down nearly 50 years of constitutional protections 
and declaring

[[Page S3048]]

open season on American reproductive freedom.
  Since then, Republicans got to work. States passed sweeping abortion 
bans. They peeled back protections for birth control. They created 
confusing, punitive, and terrifying schemes that have thrown patients 
into jail and charged their providers for simply receiving and 
providing basic medical care. And this is just the beginning.
  Today, my Republican colleagues are again seeking to advance their 
anti-choice, anti-health, anti-family, anti-freedom agenda right here 
on the Senate floor. They want to strip funding from health centers 
that prescribe birth control. They want to strip funding from health 
centers that provide birth control, that treat infections, that screen 
for cancer--and, yes, that offer abortions. The result? Hundreds of 
closed clinics. Traveling farther to get care. Paying more or not 
getting care at all. Untreated illnesses. Delayed cancer diagnoses. I 
will not allow that to happen without a fight.
  Let me be clear about where Republicans stand. Republicans will not 
protect the right to an abortion. Republicans will not protect the 
right to birth control. Republicans will not protect the right for 
Americans to decide their own futures. Instead, they will continue to 
pursue an agenda that is so offended by bodily autonomy that they would 
rather follow the extremism of the few than the will of the majority, 
who want their reproductive rights protected.
  We must make the right to contraception the law of the land. Are you 
ready for me to say that again? We must make the right to contraception 
the law of the land before extremist judges and legislators further 
strip it away to advance their radical political agenda.
  By the way, this is not some hypothetical. In his written opinion for 
the Dobbs decision, Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court of the 
United States urged the Court to overturn settled precedent and 
threaten the fundamental right to contraception.
  We know what the ``GOP'' really stands for: ``Gutting Our 
Protections.''
  That is why I am again calling for the Senate to pass my Right to 
Contraception Act. This legislation would enshrine in Federal law the 
right to obtain and use contraception and put in place vital 
protections for providers.
  The right to contraception shouldn't be a partisan issue. Americans 
of all parties overwhelmingly support it. It is central to an 
individual's health, well-being, life, liberty, equality, and economic 
and social freedom. It is a right grounded in the fundamental ability 
to make decisions about one's own body, one's own family, one's own 
future.
  We must meet the clarity of their extremism with the clarity of 
justice. That is why I am out here on the floor of the Senate today--to 
make sure we debate that clarity which must be brought to this central 
issue of families' well-being all across our country.
  Therefore, I ask that the consent be modified; that, instead, the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged and 
the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 422. Further, I 
ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and 
passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there an objection to the modification?
  The Senator from Iowa.
  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, claiming 
Republicans pose a threat to contraception is absurd. Despite 
fearmongering and election-year stunts from the left, over-the-counter 
daily oral contraceptive pills are available everywhere and have been 
for years.
  Democrats have repeatedly made it clear that they want to control 
every aspect of your life--your healthcare, your job, your finances, 
and, yes, even your children.
  To be clear, I support access to safe and effective contraception 
options for women. But that is not what Senator Markey's bill does. 
Instead, it attempts to provide drugs and sterilization procedures to 
minor children without parental consent. You do not need to be a parent 
or a grandparent to know this is profoundly wrong. It is dangerous, it 
is immoral, and it must be stopped.
  Out of concern for every single child in this country, I cannot 
support this. Therefore, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Is there an objection to the original request?
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.

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