[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2320]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      WOMEN'S HEALTHCARE DECISIONS

  (Mr. VEASEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. VEASEY. Madam Speaker, we are less than 5 days away from hearing 
oral arguments in the Supreme Court case that could steal the right 
away from women to make their own healthcare decisions.
  In 2013, the Texas State legislature passed House Bill 2, a very 
strict anti-abortion law that imposed medically unnecessary 
restrictions on women's healthcare providers. Lawmakers claimed their 
motivation was to protect women's health care, but Texas women can 
attest that the law has done little to expand their access to health 
care.
  Since the passage of HB 2, over 20 clinics in Texas have shut down. 
Women in Dallas are facing delays as long as 20 days for an initial 
abortion consultation. Other States have followed the lead, with 22 
States passing similar laws that are targeting abortion providers just 
in the last few years.
  Roe v. Wade made it clear that women have a constitutional right to 
make choices about their own bodies.
  Planned Parenthood v. Casey reaffirmed that a State cannot create an 
undue burden on women when they seek to exercise their right to safe 
and legal abortions. Ultimately, a constitutional right means nothing 
without the ability to exercise that right.
  I am confident that the Supreme Court will reaffirm that women are 
constitutionally protected to make their own healthcare decisions.

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