Barbara Lee: “I thank the chairman for yielding, for his work, and for bringing this bill to the floor. Let me also take a moment to…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding, for his work, and for bringing this bill to the floor. Let me also take a moment to thank our good friend, a great leader, Congresswoman Judy Chu, for her vision and her persistent leadership, and Chairman Pallone for bringing this to the floor, once again. Last month's Supreme Court decision is having devastating impacts across the country. Now, I remember the days before Roe, and now that the Court has ended Roe, we are truly in a state of a national health emergency. Abortion bans affect everyone, but their impact falls hardest on folks who face serious barriers to care and already have these barriers presented because of the lack of equity in our healthcare system--women of color, people working to make ends meet, rural people, young people. It is terrifying now that people could be criminalized for exercising their own personal healthcare decisions. That is wrong. It is morally wrong. Already, across this country, people are unable to get care and are denied the freedom to make their own decisions about their health and about their futures. Our personal liberties and our freedoms are being taken away. This is just another step in the erosion of our democracy. It has never been more critical than now that we pass legislation to protect the right to access abortion and ensure that abortion and comprehensive reproductive healthcare are accessible and available for all.”