Lois Capps: “I thank my colleague, Barbara Lee from California, for yielding to me. And I also want to thank our colleague from New…”

“I thank my colleague, Barbara Lee from California, for yielding to me. And I also want to thank our colleague from New York, Nita Lowey, for her leadership in organizing this opportunity for us to speak, to speak with one voice, we who are Members of Congress, women Members of Congress. And speaking for myself, some of us are mothers, are grandmothers. And my career in public health greatly informs what I'm about to say. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Obama administration's decision to include contraception in their very, very important list of preventive services which will make women's health care more affordable. Let us be clear: This was not a political decision on the part of the administration, on the part of our President, nor was it intended to attack any religious institution. It was a decision based on extensive science and the expert recommendations made by these scientists with the goal in mind of keeping women and their children healthy. However, a great deal of misinformation has been spread about this rule, and some have decided to, again, use women's health as a political football. But the truth is that this issue is not as divisive as many would like it to be. Almost all women use a form of an FDA- approved birth control at one point or another in their lifetime. This includes 98 percent of Catholic women as well.…”