Senator Murray: “The issue here is simple, and it cuts to the core of American values: freedom… No woman—no one—should be dragged through pregnancy against their will.”
Senator Murray: “It is harrowing to think that we live in a reality where forced pregnancy has become so widespread—so rampant—that only the most dystopian stories get national attention. But the stories of all the other women confronted by these bans—their pain, heartbreak, anger, and fears—are also horrific, valid, and an important part of the conversation. A forced pregnancy does not have to make headlines to make someone’s life a living hell.”
***VIDEO HERE***
Washington, D.C. – This morning, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled, “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” The hearing is focused on the tremendous harm, chaos, and heartbreak Republican abortion bans have created over the past two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wadewith its devastating decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Information on the witnesses and their testimonies can be found HERE.
Right now, about 1 in 3 women of reproductive age in the U.S. live in states with abortion bans. 14 states have a complete ban on abortion and twenty-one states ban abortion or restrict the procedure earlier in pregnancy than the standard set by Roe. As of December 2023, nearly one in five patients have to travel out of state for abortion care, and one in five women of reproductive age in states where abortion is banned say that either they or someone they personally know has had difficulty obtaining an abortion. With increased restrictions on abortion care, millions of women are relying on medication abortion for access—in 2023, medication abortion accounted for 63 percent of all abortions in the U.S. up from 53 percent in 2020. Health care providers in states with abortion bans who specialize in high-risk pregnancies are leaving their practices out of fear of criminal prosecution, and states with bans saw a 10.5% decline in applicants for OB-GYN residency in 2023, compared to 2022. A 2023 KFF study found that the majority of OB-GYNs feel the Dobbs decision has worsened their ability to care for patients with miscarriages and other pregnancy-related medical emergencies. Compared to states where abortion is accessible, states with abortion bans or restricted access have higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, especially among women of color.
Senator Murray’s opening remarks, as delivered, are below:
“Chairman Sanders, thank you so much for your statement and thank you for letting me chair today’s hearing, on a topic that is deeply important to me, and I want to thank all of our witnesses for joining us here today.
“Today, we take a close accounting of the trauma Republicans are inflicting on women and families across our country, and the damage they are doing to basic reproductive health care through their horrific anti-abortion crusade.
“The issue here is simple, and it cuts to the core of American values: freedom.
“Many women, every day, experience the joy of becoming pregnant and raising a family. They were able to make that decision for themselves.
“But no woman—no one—should be dragged through pregnancy against their will.
“But right now in America, more than a third of women of reproductive age live in states where they essentially don’t have the choice to end a pregnancy if they need to. Instead, Republicans have made the choice for them with extreme abortion bans and cruel restrictions on access to care.
“With these policies, they have told women, in no uncertain terms: you don’t control your body—we do.
“That is horrifying. Think about what it means—what it really means—to be told someone else can decide you have to stay pregnant. Think about how little power that gives a woman over her own life and her own health?
“And think about how much power that gives not just politicians, but any man who knows he can get a woman pregnant—force her to stay pregnant—so he can have control over her, or even get revenge, for the rest of her life?
“To every Republican who hopes this issue will go away or is hoping the post-Dobbs reality will become a settled status quo: listen, you never forget, and you never just get used to, someone else taking control of your body, your medical decisions, your plans for your family—your future.
“You never forget a politician rescinding your right to make decisions about something as personal as your own pregnancy—and imposing his will instead, especially when you live with the consequences every day.
“And the consequences of the post-Dobbs abortion bans are so much broader, and so much more devastating, than any one story—or hearing—can ever do justice.
“There are stories that get a lot of attention—that are shocking almost beyond belief. Stories of women denied care for a miscarriage, because of abortion bans, women turned away from hospitals because their doctors’ hands were tied until they lost over half of their blood, until their husband found them unconscious, until the only option was an emergency hysterectomy, or tragically, until it was simply too late.
“Or stories of children who can’t get abortion care after being raped. Some kids may be able to get across state lines to get the care they need. Other children have been forced into motherhood by Republican politicians. One teenager delivered a baby while clutching a teddy bear.
“These nightmares are happening across the country as a direct result of Republican abortion bans.
“And there are so many other stories that go untold.
“Women who do not want to be pregnant for whatever reason. Maybe they can’t afford to have another kid right now. Maybe they are in an abusive relationship. Maybe they don’t want a kid, period—but are told by politicians that they have no say in the matter.
“Not unless they have the time and resources—often thousands of dollars—to travel, in some cases hundreds and hundreds of miles.
“It is harrowing to think that we live in a reality where forced pregnancy has become so widespread and so rampant that only the most dystopian stories get national attention.
“But the stories of all the other women who are confronted by these bans—their pain, their heartbreak, their anger and fears—are also horrific, valid, and an important part of the conversation.
“A forced pregnancy does not have to make headlines to make someone’s life a living hell.
“And let’s be clear about a few more things before we get started. Republican attacks are not only hurting people in the states where they banned abortion. They are not only hurting women who need an abortion. And their attacks on our rights are not stopping at abortion.
“When it comes to states like mine—where abortion is legal—providers are being stretched beyond capacity by women in desperate need of abortion care they can no longer get at their home.
“So when it comes to women who aren’t even seeking an abortion, bans are hollowing out health care for women in general—especially for those who already face some of the biggest challenges getting care: women of color, Indigenous women, and those in rural communities.
“Because, in a surprise to no one, health care providers do not want to work in states where politicians get between doctors and their patients, and threaten providers with jail time, and the loss of their medical license if they dare to help patients get the abortion care they need.
“So, in states with extreme abortion bans, we are seeing health care providers closing their doors and shutting down their practices, new doctors staying away, and fewer options for patients to get a whole range of necessary health care services. The consequences extend far beyond abortion.
“And when it comes to what is next, well, Republicans have already made it painfully clear. They want a national abortion ban.
“And no matter what they’re saying now—we can just look at the record. Look at how many Republicans have cosponsored national abortion bans.
“Look at the Life at Conception Act—that is a bill that is supported by more than half of the House Republican conference that would enshrine fetal personhood nationwide.
“Let’s be clear what that could mean: not just an abortion ban. It could mean women and doctors charged with murder for an abortion—making them eligible for the death penalty in their states. It could mean emergency contraception like Plan B is outlawed. And it could mean IVF is ripped away from people trying to start a family.
“This is not theoretical. We saw how much chaos this dangerously extreme ideology already caused for families in Alabama.
“And yet there are Republican states, and Republican members of Congress—including the Speaker of the House—who support making fetal personhood the law of the land.
“That is extreme in the extreme.
“But in the face of all this horror, we have also seen an outcry from women and men who refuse to let Republicans keep dragging our nation backwards and stripping away our basic rights.
“Every time abortion rights have been on the ballot since Dobbs—every single time—abortion rights have won.
“People are standing up and speaking out. And Democrats are proud to stand with them. Democrats are going to make sure women’s voices are heard in our nation’s Capitol—including at hearings like this one.
“And we are going to keep fighting to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and restore the basic and fundamental right of women to control their own bodies.
“While former President Trump continues to brag about how he overturned Roe—and make clear he will go even farther to restrict and ban abortion if given the chance, Democrats have been clear: with a pro-choice majority in the House and Senate and Joe Biden in the White House, we will restore and protect abortion rights for every woman in America.”
“Thank you.”
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