[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROE V. WADE

  (Ms. BONAMICI asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, 40 years ago today, Roe v. Wade gave women 
the right to make their own decisions about reproductive health care. 
Without it, women's lives would be very different.
  History shows us that when abortion is illegal, it does not go away; 
it becomes dangerous. And that's why it's important to continue to make 
sure that abortion is legal, rare, regulated, and safe.
  Before Roe, more than a million women each year took great risk to 
access health care they needed. They faced unlicensed and ill-equipped 
physicians, unsanitary conditions, illness, and death. This is why the 
Supreme Court ruling was so important 40 years ago. It ensured safe, 
legal abortions for these women.
  Roe v. Wade ensures the basic right of privacy, the freedom to 
control one's body and one's future. It can be easy to feel complacent 
today, but the threats against reproductive health care rights are 
increasing.
  There is still work to be done. Today, 40 years later, we must 
continue to fight so that women's reproductive health care rights are 
not rolled back.

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