[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18390-18394]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        DIRECTING VA TO DISPLAY A WOMEN VETERANS BILL OF RIGHTS

  MR. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5953) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to display 
in each facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs a Women Veterans 
Bill of Rights, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5953

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DISPLAY OF WOMEN VETERANS BILL OF RIGHTS.

       (a) Display.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     ensure that the Women Veterans Bill of Rights described in 
     subsection (b) is printed on signs in accessible formats and 
     displayed prominently and conspicuously in each facility of 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs and distributed widely to 
     women veterans.
       (b) Women Veterans Bill of Rights.--The Women Veterans Bill 
     of Rights described in this subsection is a sign stating that 
     women veterans should have the following rights:
       (1) The right to a coordinated, comprehensive, primary 
     women's health care, at every Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical facility, including the recognized models of best 
     practices, systems, and structures for care delivery that 
     ensure that every woman veteran has access to a Department of 
     Veterans Affairs primary care provider who can meet all her 
     primary care needs, including gender-specific, acute and 
     chronic illness, preventive, and mental health care.
       (2) The right to be treated with dignity and respect at all 
     Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
       (3) The right to innovation in care delivery promoted and 
     incentivized by the Veterans Health Administration to support 
     local best practices fitted to the particular configuration 
     and women veteran population.
       (4) The right to request and get treatment by clinicians 
     with specific training and experience in women's health 
     issues.
       (5) The right to enhanced capabilities of medical 
     providers, clinical support, non-clinical, and 
     administrative, to meet the comprehensive health care needs 
     of women veterans.
       (6) The right to request and expect gender equity in 
     provision of clinical health care services.
       (7) The right to equal access to health care services as 
     that of their male counterparts.
       (8) The right to parity to their male veteran counterpart 
     regarding the outcome of performance measures of health care 
     services.
       (9) The right to be informed, through outreach campaigns, 
     of benefits under laws administered by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs and to be included in Department outreach 
     materials for any benefits and service to which they are 
     entitled.
       (10) The right to be featured proportionately, including by 
     age and ethnicity, in Department outreach materials, 
     including electronic and print media that clearly depict them 
     as being the recipient of the benefits and services provided 
     by the Department.
       (11) The right to be recognized as an important separate 
     population in new strategic plans for service delivery within 
     the health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (12) The right to equal consideration in hiring and 
     employment for any job to which they apply.
       (13) The right to equal consideration in securing Federal 
     contracts.
       (14) The right to equal access and accommodations in 
     homeless programs that will meet their unique family needs.
       (15) The right to have their claims adjudicated equally, 
     fairly, and accurately without bias or disparate treatment.
       (16) The right to have their military sexual trauma and 
     other injuries compensated in a way that reflects the level 
     of trauma sustained.
       (17) The right to expect that all veteran service officers, 
     especially those who are trained by the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Training Responsibility Involvement 
     Preparation program for claims processing, are required to 
     receive training to be aware of and sensitive to the signs of 
     military sexual trauma, domestic violence, and personal 
     assault.
       (18) The right to the availability of female personnel to 
     assist them in the disability claims application and 
     appellate processes of the Department.
       (19) The right to the availability of female compensation 
     and pension examiners.
       (20) The right to expect specialized training be provided 
     to disability rating personnel regarding military sexual 
     trauma and gender-specific illnesses so that these claims can 
     be adjudicated more accurately.
       (21) The right to expect the collection of gender-specific 
     data on disability ratings, for the performance of 
     longitudinal and trend analyses, and for other applicable 
     purposes.
       (22) The right to a method to identify and track outcomes 
     for all claims involving personal assault trauma, regardless 
     of the resulting disability.
       (23) The right for women veterans' programs and women 
     veteran coordinators to be measured and evaluated for 
     performance, consistency, and accountability.
       (24) The right to burial benefits under the laws 
     administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

     SEC. 2. DISPLAY OF INJURED AND AMPUTEE VETERANS BILL OF 
                   RIGHTS.

       (a) Display.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     ensure that the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights 
     described in subsection (b) is printed on signs in accessible 
     formats and displayed prominently and conspicuously in each 
     prosthetics and orthotics clinic of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs.
       (b) Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights.--The 
     Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights described in this 
     subsection is a statement that injured and amputee veterans 
     should have the following rights:
       (1) The right to access the highest quality prosthetic and 
     orthotic care, including the right to the most appropriate 
     technology and best qualified practitioners.
       (2) The right to continuity of care in the transition from 
     the Department of Defense health program to the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs health care system, including comparable 
     benefits relating to prosthetic and orthotic services.
       (3) The right to select the practitioner that best meets 
     their orthotic and prosthetic needs, whether or not that 
     practitioner is an employee of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs, a private practitioner who has entered into a 
     contract with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide 
     prosthetic and orthotic services, or a private practitioner 
     with specialized expertise.
       (4) The right to consistent and portable health care, 
     including the right to obtain comparable services and 
     technology at any medical facility of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs across the country.
       (5) The right to timely and efficient prosthetic and 
     orthotic care, including a speedy authorization process with 
     expedited authorization available for veterans visiting from 
     another area of the country.

[[Page 18391]]

       (6) The right to play a meaningful role in rehabilitation 
     decisions, including the right to receive a second opinion 
     regarding prosthetic and orthotic treatment options.
       (7) The right to receive appropriate treatment, including 
     the right to receive both a primary prosthesis or orthosis 
     and a functional spare.
       (8) The right to be treated with respect and dignity and 
     have an optimal quality of life both during and after 
     rehabilitation.
       (9) The right to transition and readjust to civilian life 
     in an honorable manner, including by having ample access to 
     vocational rehabilitation, employment programs, and housing 
     assistance.
       (c) Monitoring and Resolution of Complaints.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting 
     through the veteran liaison at each medical center of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs, shall collect information 
     relating to the alleged mistreatment of injured and amputee 
     veterans.
       (2) Quarterly reports.--For each fiscal quarter, the 
     veteran liaison at each medical center of the Department 
     shall submit to the Chief Consultant of Prosthetics and 
     Sensory Aids of the Department a report on any information 
     collected under paragraph (1) during that quarter.
       (3) Investigation and addressing of complaints.--The Chief 
     Consultant, in cooperation with appropriate employees of a 
     medical center of the Department, shall investigate and 
     address any information collected under paragraph (1) at that 
     medical center.

     SEC. 3. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.

       (a) Education of Department Employees.--The Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall ensure that--
       (1) all employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     receive training on the Women Veterans Bill of Rights 
     described in section 1; and
       (2) employees of the Department who work at prosthetics and 
     orthotics clinics and who work as patient advocates with 
     veterans who receive care at such clinics, including Federal 
     recovery coordinators and case managers, receive training on 
     the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights described in 
     section 2.
       (b) Outreach to Veterans.--The Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall conduct outreach to inform veterans about the 
     Women Veterans Bill of Rights described in section 1 and the 
     Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights described in 
     section 2 by--
       (1) ensuring that such Bills of Rights are available on the 
     Internet website of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
       (2) conducting other types of outreach targeted at specific 
     groups of veterans, which may include outreach conducted on 
     other Internet websites or through veterans service 
     organizations.

     SEC. 4. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN SERVICES.

       Nothing in this Act shall be construed to establish a right 
     to any service excluded under 38 C.F.R. 17.38, as in effect 
     on the date of the enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 5953, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FILNER. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill before us is an important piece of 
legislation, establishing a bill of rights on the one hand for women 
veterans, and on the other hand for injured and amputee veterans. This 
has been the subject of over a year of discussion in our committee and 
around the country with various groups and stakeholders to try and 
refine the legislation to one that everyone can support.
  Let me just speak on the first half, and that is women veterans. 
There are almost 2 million women veterans now, Mr. Speaker, and they 
are one of the fastest growing subgroups of veterans in our Nation. It 
is estimated that the number of female veterans who use the VA health 
care system will double, assuming that the current enrollment rates 
remain constant.
  The VA health care system, as we know it, was built to accommodate 
the war-related illnesses and injuries of male veterans. It's a male 
institution as it was created. In fact, many of the VA providers, many 
of the VA customers are veterans, have little or no exposure to women 
veterans. As women are serving in combat conditions alongside their 
male counterparts, it is important that the Department embrace and 
recognize the needs of all veterans, both men and women alike.
  Through hearings and roundtable discussions that we have held during 
this year, women veterans have come forward to share their personal 
stories. From their accounts, it is clear that while the VA has made 
some strides in caring for women veterans, significant gaps remain. The 
veterans testifying before the committee have shared stories of feeling 
unwelcomed, alienated, disrespected in some of our VA medical centers 
so that they are now reluctant to pursue the benefits and services that 
they have earned with service to their country.
  We have heard about women veterans walking into the lobby of a 
medical center and having catcalls come from all corners of that lobby. 
We have heard that a woman who had her arm amputated from battle in 
Fallujah, when she appeared before a doctor at her VA, the doctor 
thought she had cancer. He couldn't imagine her as having lost an arm 
due to combat conditions. We have had single women who have had to 
bring their children because they could not get child care, and doctors 
refusing to see them. We have got to change this institution to meet 
the needs, the real needs of the women veterans of our Nation.
  The VA must recognize and be equipped to treat the unique medical 
concerns that women veterans have. They must respect privacy concerns, 
eliminate cultural insensitivity that may otherwise bar women from 
accessing the VA health care system. In most of the VA medical centers 
they are not even changing in privacy curtains so that women may have 
that deserved privacy.
  We made a lot of progress this Congress in addressing the women 
veterans with the enactment of S. 1963, the Caregivers and Veterans 
Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010. This bill, H.R. 5953, would bring 
the VA another step closer to providing equal care for women to their 
male counterparts.
  My bill would require the VA to display in all of its facilities the 
24 fundamental principles governing the treatment of women veterans, as 
well as require VA to widely distribute the bill of rights to women 
veterans.
  Among the key principles of this bill of rights is the right to 
coordinated, comprehensive primary women's health care at every VA 
medical center, the right to receive care from clinicians who have 
special training and experience in women's health issues, and gender 
equity in accessing all clinical services. My hope is that this 
legislation will lead to bold changes that will effectively tackle the 
needs of our brave and honored women veterans.
  This bill, as amended, mandates also another bill of rights. Let me 
just say one last thing, though, on the women's bill of rights. There 
was some concern raised in recent days about the relationship to this 
bill and the rights conferred on women veterans, and therefore the 
bringing of abortion services into the VA medical facilities. This bill 
did not do that. It made no reference to all the laws on the books that 
prevent Federal facilities from doing that. But in a discussion with 
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who previously chaired this 
VA Committee, who is a leader of the so-called pro-life forces in this 
Congress, he said we can fix that for you. All you have to do is add a 
line that he gave us and we have put in this bill.
  So nobody need be concerned that this bill somehow overrides all 
previous laws and mandates abortion services in the VA clinics. It says 
and is included in this bill by manager's amendment that nothing in 
this act shall be construed to establish a right to any service 
excluded under 38 Code of Federal Regulations 17.38, as in effect on 
the date of the enactment of this act.

                              {time}  2010

  Those are the regulations that ban abortions in Federal facilities. 
So just to make sure that people feel that they can vote for this 
without violating some other principles, this sentence is in there, and 
the gentleman from New

[[Page 18392]]

Jersey feels that that adequately and definitively eliminates that 
problem that had been brought up in recent days.
  Let me if I may, Mr. Speaker, go on to the Injured and Amputee Bill 
of Rights. There are not many of us who have not heard of the horrific 
battleground stories experienced by our young men and women who have 
served in Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom. These 
stories reveal a gruesome and difficult war in which servicemembers 
often sustain long-lasting emotional and physical injuries. Of these 
none is more disheartening than the amputations undergone by 
servicemembers as a direct result of the widespread use of roadside 
bombs, otherwise known as IEDs, Improvised Explosive Devices.
  This class of injuries, which has spiked significantly since the 
onset of Operation New Dawn, requires special consideration within the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. After returning home, these individuals 
must embark upon a long road to recovery that includes extensive 
rehabilitation and specialized treatment.
  This bill instructs the VA to inform veterans and educate employees 
at each VA prosthetics and orthotics clinic that there is an Injured 
and Amputee Veterans' Bill of Rights. The bill requires the VA to 
monitor and resolve complaints from injured and amputee veterans 
alleging mistreatment.
  I believe that this bill will do much to protect the rights of our 
injured and amputee veterans, as well as bolster the consistency of 
prosthetic and orthotic care throughout the VA health care system.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. We have 
been working on these bills for a long, long time, and I am pleased 
that we have been allowed to bring these bills even in this lame duck 
session to allow the VA to move into the 21st century in terms of 
treatment of our women veterans and in treatment of our veterans who 
have undergone amputations.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I 
may consume.
  H.R. 5953, as amended, would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
to display in each VA facility a Women Veterans' Bill of Rights. 
Included as part of the manager's amendment is H.R. 5428, a bill to 
direct VA to create, educate, and inform staff and veterans about an 
Injured and Amputee Veterans' Bill of Rights.
  The intent of the bill is laudable. The sacrifices of women, injured 
and amputee veterans should be recognized and respected. And, 
unquestionably, they have unique needs that require specialized care 
and services. But H.R. 5953 is a flawed bill that has been brought to 
the floor under a flawed process.
  In Congress, certain procedures are put in place to ensure that 
policy is done correctly. Under regular order, once a bill has been 
introduced, it's referred to a committee of jurisdiction. Once in 
committee, it may be referred to a particular subcommittee or held in 
full committee, where hearings and markups--and that for the public 
would be votes--are held and Members and interested stakeholders are 
given the opportunity to examine legislation for sound policy and 
unintended consequences. If Members desire, they may offer amendments 
to improve a bill before it's voted out of committee and brought to the 
House floor for further debate before being voted on by the full House.
  This is a time-tested democratic process, and I have seen numerous 
bills made better when we follow regular order. Instead, this bill is 
being brought to the floor in a closed process. It bypasses regular 
order in spite of numerous and serious objections, including those of 
our ranking member, Congressman Buyer.
  We were supposed to have debated and voted on H.R. 5953 yesterday, 
but it was pulled from consideration at the very last minute after 
grave concerns were raised by the Pro-Life Caucus, the National Right 
to Life Committee, the Concerned Women for America, and the United 
States Conference of Catholic Bishops, among others, over language that 
could have created a legal basis to require government-funded abortions 
at VA medical centers. I am pleased that a new section was added to the 
bill we will consider today that is intended to address these 
particular concerns.
  However, H.R. 5953, as amended, still continues to raise significant 
policy questions, including whether rights are consistent with current 
veterans' health care eligibility under title 38 of the United States 
Code.
  Among these rights in question are the right to equal consideration 
in hiring and employment. This right seems to create an unfounded 
expectation regarding employment in both public and private sectors but 
leaves the meaning of equal consideration unknown. Equal to whom or 
what? Do existing employment laws and regulations meet this new 
undefined standard or will additional regulations be required?
  The right for female veterans to have female personnel assist them in 
their disability claims process. It is unclear whether this provision 
refers to VA employees, to veterans service organizations, to others 
who may assist a veteran in filing or appealing a claim, or to all of 
the above groups. But VA has no control over the gender of third 
parties who represent claimants before VA.
  Similarly, the right for female compensation and pension examiners to 
be made available to women veterans is problematic. There are several 
locations where a female examiner may not be present, which could place 
the female veteran at a disadvantage for a timely exam.
  Correcting issues like these are why we have a hearing process. Good 
government is worth taking our time.
  The Committee on Veterans' Affairs has never held a hearing on H.R. 
5953. Consequently, Members have not been provided the opportunity to 
examine or amend the legislation to rectify any unintended consequences 
the bill could have or to improve it. Even the VA has not been provided 
the opportunity to present their official views, and none of the 
veterans service organizations or other interested stakeholders have 
been provided the opportunity to comment on the bill, which could 
directly impact so many of their daily lives.
  Additionally, we are going to vote on the bill without knowing what 
it will cost because the Congressional Budget Office was not given the 
opportunity to prepare a cost estimate.
  Yesterday, a last-minute fix was needed to ensure this bill would not 
provide a basis for federally funded abortions. What else is in the 
bill that may require a fix? We don't know because we weren't able to 
properly vet it before it was brought to the floor.
  How would this Bill of Rights be enforced? What would happen if VA 
personnel didn't comply? We don't know.
  What we do know is the VA already has a comprehensive list of 
patients' rights displayed in each facility. The existing Bill of 
Rights applies to each and every veteran and includes the right to be 
treated with dignity, compassion, and respect, and the right to 
information about VA benefits to which you may be entitled and other 
important rights for veteran patients cared for in a VA medical 
facility, including women veterans and veterans with amputations.
  I and my Republican colleagues are strongly committed to meaningful 
oversight for the benefits and services we provide for our veterans. I 
would have appreciated the opportunity to have a voice in the process 
of bringing H.R. 5953 to the floor today. That is why the voters of 
Tennessee sent me to Congress, and I fully intend as a member of the VA 
Committee to ask for hearings on these issues in the 112th Congress.
  I just want to say, the chairman and I have worked on many things 
together during this past year, many good things. And I, as a veteran, 
I am a veteran, and I am an Ob/Gyn physician who has treated veteran 
patients for over 30 years in my community, which has a veterans 
hospital, so I am very well aware of these issues.
  I certainly agree with a Bill of Rights. The problem is we had no way 
and no process in which to look through this.

[[Page 18393]]

  I understand what the chairman--as I said, it's laudable what he 
wants to do. I agree with many of the issues here. I have no problem 
with that. I am here discussing basically the process of how we got 
here to the floor.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I do want to assure the gentleman that, as 
he knows, we have had several roundtables. We call them roundtables 
rather than hearings, because we literally sit around the table and 
have discussions rather than just have people questioned. And we have 
had people from all over the country testify on this bill.
  We have sent the bill to every single veterans service organization, 
to everyone who has ever asked or complained about treatment as women 
veterans. We have had enormous input from around the country on this, 
probably more than any other bill that we have done. The bill has 
undergone a whole lot of changes and has responded to a lot of the 
input that we had, including from Members of the opposite party who 
have been at some of the roundtable discussions.

                              {time}  2020

  It is time, Mr. Speaker, to move into the 21st century on this. The 
VA has been a male institution. We cannot keep waiting for change. It 
has to come. Women are performing an incredible, incredible role in the 
conflicts that we have ongoing. We should not say ``thank you'' by an 
unwelcome response to their coming to a VA facility. It's time that we 
had a Bill of Rights for women veterans.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, again, this bill, 5953, did not 
come in from the full Veterans' Affairs Committee like other bills that 
I've seen. Again, I'm new, as you are. I have been here 2 years. But 
what I've seen is these bills come up. We have a markup, and a markup 
means just a vote on the bill, and then the chairman will ask, Are 
there any amendments at the table? We will discuss those amendments and 
vote them up or down. We didn't have a chance to vet that with this 
process.
  And I think it's a laudable thing, as I have said, to do. I certainly 
see many things in here, and I've got the Bill of Rights right here 
that the VA has posted on the wall, and I certainly would have liked to 
have had the opportunity to go over this Bill of Rights. This 
particular bill was introduced July 29, 2010. I was at all the 
Veterans' markups. I certainly didn't miss this one, and it didn't come 
through the regular order. That's my complaint, not the content so 
much.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, every American has a duty to 
respect, honor and support our veterans.
  Congress has the responsibility to ensure that the profound respect 
owed to our veterans is translated into meaningful and tangible action.
  For generations, Members on both sides of the aisle have sought world 
class medical care for wounded and ill veterans, compensation for the 
service connected disabled, funding for higher education and housing, 
and programs to rescue and re- enfranchise the homeless.
  And as Lincoln said so eloquently, the Federal Government should care 
for ``his widow and orphan.''
  I am the prime sponsor of numerous veterans laws, including the 
Homeless Veterans Assistance Act, the Veterans Education and Benefits 
Expansion Act, Veterans Survivor Benefits Improvement Act and numerous 
health care laws including the Veterans Health Program Improvement Act 
which, among scores of provisions, made permanent the authority of the 
Secretary to provide sexual trauma counseling to veterans--especially 
women.
  Women who serve in our nation's Armed Forces deserve special 
gratitude and recognition in law. As veterans, they face unique 
challenges that both the Executive and Legislative Branch has and is 
attempting to address.
  In September, the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans made ten 
recommendations to improve the quality of care provided to women 
veterans--to help ensure that the services and benefits we provide keep 
pace with the fastest growing segment of the veterans' population. They 
stated that we must bulk up the VA's gender-specific workforce and 
train and equip qualified staff to handle the unique challenges women 
face when transitioning to civilian life. They confirmed what many of 
us know and have been working on for years--that homelessness among 
veterans, and women in particular, is a plague we must work harder to 
eliminate. Improvements in outreach and childcare services would allow 
more women to take advantage of the health care, and mental health care 
in particular, that are available for them.
  Today, the House considers a bill to establish a Bill of Rights for 
women veterans as well as those men and women who have lost limbs to 
further ensure prompt, comprehensive and effective treatment within the 
VA.
  I am especially pleased that Chairman Filner's bill--H.R. 5953--makes 
absolutely clear that abortion is not health care under this bill and 
so-called abortion rights are not implied by any of the rights 
specified in the legislation. In addition to eliminating any legal 
grounds for implying a right to abortion access, abortion funding or 
any other abortion-related activity, the newly added Section 4 also 
neutralizes any legal effort to use the Women Veterans Bill of Rights 
as a basis to infer a right to other controversial services such as 
abortion counseling, IVF and gender alteration as well as spa or gym 
memberships, care for veterans in prison and unapproved drugs and 
devices.
  Section 4 of H.R. 5953 states: ``Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed to establish a right to any service excluded under 38 CFR 
17.18, as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.''
  Specifically the services listed as exclusions under 38 CFR 17.38 as 
of the date of enactment of H.R. 5953:
  (1) Abortions and abortion counseling.
  (2) In vitro fertilization.
  (3) Drugs, biologicals, and medical devices not approved by the Food 
and Drug Administration unless the treating medical facility is 
conducting formal clinical trials under an Investigational Device 
Exemption, IDE, or an Investigational New Drug, IND, application, or 
the drugs, biologicals, or medical devices are prescribed under a 
compassionate use exemption.
  (4) Gender alterations.
  (5) Hospital and outpatient care for a veteran who is either a 
patient or inmate in an institution of another government agency if 
that agency has a duty to give the care or services.
  (6) Membership in spas and health clubs.
  Mr. Speaker, VA hospitals and Community Based Outpatient Clinics are 
today extraordinary places of healing, recovery, and recuperation. 
Abortion is not health care.
  Because abortion methods dismember, decapitate, crush, poison, starve 
to death and induce premature labor, pro-life Members of Congress, and 
according to every reputable poll, significant majorities of Americans 
want no complicity whatsoever in this violence.
  Abortion hurts women's health and puts future children subsequently 
born to women who aborted at significant risk. At least 102 studies 
show significant psychological harm, major depression and elevated 
suicide risk in women who abort.
  Recently, the Times of London reported that, ``[S]enior . . . 
psychiatrists say that new evidence has uncovered a clear link between 
abortion and mental illness in women with no previous history of 
psychological problems.'' They found, ``that women who have had 
abortions have twice the level of psychological problems and three 
times the level of depression as women who have given birth or who have 
never been pregnant. . .''
  In 2006, a comprehensive New Zealand study found that 78.6 percent of 
the 15-18 year-olds who had abortions displayed symptoms of major 
depression as compared to 31 percent of their peers. The study also 
found that 27 percent of the 21-25 year-old women who had abortions had 
suicidal idealizations compared to 8 percent of those who did not have 
an abortion.
  At least 28 studies--including three in 2009--show that abortion 
increases the risk of breast cancer by some 30-40 percent or more yet 
the abortion industry has largely succeeded in suppressing these facts.
  Abortion isn't safe for subsequent children born to women who have 
had an abortion. At least 113 studies show a significant association 
between abortion and subsequent premature births. For example a study 
by researchers Shah and Zoe showed a 36 percent increased risk for 
preterm birth after one abortion and a staggering 93 percent increased 
risk after two.
  Similarly, the risk of subsequent children being born with low birth 
weight increases by 35 percent after one and 72 percent after two or 
more abortions. Another study shows the risk increases 9 times after a 
woman has had three abortions.
  What does this mean for her children? Preterm birth is the leading 
cause of infant

[[Page 18394]]

mortality in the industrialized world after congenital anomalies. 
Preterm infants have a greater risk of suffering from chronic lung 
disease, sensory deficits, cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments and 
behavior problems. Low birth weight is similarly associated with 
neonatal mortality and morbidity.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you in support 
of H.R. 5953, ``to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to display 
in each facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs a Women Veterans 
Bill of Rights.'' I would like to begin by thanking my colleague, 
Representative Filner for introducing H.R. 5953 in the House. I urge my 
colleagues to also support this noble resolution as it reaffirms the 
importance of gender equality within the Department of Veterans 
Affairs. This bill recognizes the absolute importance of equity between 
men and women veterans, as they have both equally sacrificed for our 
great Nation. As patriotic Americans, in return, we must honor and 
respect these heroes.
  Women's contribution to our armed forces has a long tradition, which 
began during World War II. This contribution included not only the 
women who courageously served in our Armed Forces at a time in our 
Nation's history where women did not possess the rights we have today, 
but also the six million women who manned the manufacturing plants 
which produced munitions and material during World War II while the men 
who traditionally performed this work were off fighting the war.
  Today, there are 1.8 million women veterans throughout the United 
States, that still deserve the same acknowledgement of rights that 
other veterans have received. This is an important resolution which 
recognizes the Women Veterans Bill of Rights within each facility of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs. This resolution upholds a strong 
standard of respect and dignity for equality within the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. Our commitment to veterans is to both men and women 
veterans who have courageously dedicated their lives to serve their 
Nation.
  The Women Veterans Bill of Rights enumerates a number of non-
controversial, necessary rights for female veterans of the United 
States Armed Forces. The Bill of Rights includes the right to be 
treated with dignity, the rights to primary health care, and the right 
to treatment by those clinicians with training and experience in 
women's health issues among others.
  This is an important bill that advocates the equal treatment of women 
veterans. It encourages the fair treatment of anyone that has served 
this country by defending the United States, and establishes that no 
one should be treated any differently based on their gender. This bill 
is truly American and represents an undivided Nation that respects both 
men and women equally and fairly. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 
5953 and support the rights of women veterans throughout the United 
States.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5953, 
as amended.
  I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5953, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to direct the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs to display in each facility of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs a Women Veterans Bill of Rights and to display in each 
prosthetics and orthotics clinic of the Department an Injured and 
Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights, and for other purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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