Anna Eshoo: “I thank the chairman of our committee for his leadership. I rise in strong support of this legislation. It is aptly…”

“I thank the chairman of our committee for his leadership. I rise in strong support of this legislation. It is aptly named, Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. I have listened to the debate so far on this bill, and I really find it hard to believe what I am hearing. I think the people of this country need to know, before we get to the reproductive freedoms, that the Republicans are opposed to contraception. That is a fact around here. Now, because of what the Supreme Court has unleashed with the Dobbs decision, we have a patchwork of States with different laws. Some States provide full healthcare for women; others don't. Now, those living, as the author of this legislation stated, in Texas, they are fleeing Texas to go to other States; but those States want to stop women from traveling. That is what this is about. Stop women from traveling. What are they going to do? Put their Highway Patrol on the border to interview people to find out where they are going and why? This is extreme in terms of what these States want to do. Today, the House, in its votes, makes it crystal clear to those States that they cannot take this freedom away. This bill establishes protections for women who travel for care and for healthcare professionals who provide that care. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it.”