[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 23]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 31321]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN OPPOSITION TO THE STUPAK AMENDMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 9, 2009

  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in 
opposition to further restrictions on the constitutionally guaranteed 
right to abortion.
  Last night the other body wisely defeated an amendment mirrored on 
the Stupak language that would have gone far and away beyond the 
current Hyde Amendment restrictions on abortion law.
  That amendment, like the Stupak amendment we adopted in the House 
represented a blatant attack on women.
  It attempts to dictate how individual Americans can spend their own 
money. That is simply outrageous.
  The federal government has no place inserting itself between the 
medical decisions that a woman makes with her doctor.
  This is a democracy, not a theocracy. The religious views of some 
should not dictate public policy for all.
  We've got to follow the Senate's lead and strip the Stupak language 
from the final health reform bill and ensure that woman can exercise 
their right to seek an abortion.
  We cannot and should not compromise away the rights of women to win 
votes.
  We have already compromised far too much.

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