Doris Matsui: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule and to stand with millions of…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule and to stand with millions of American women and men who receive essential health services from Planned Parenthood. These attacks against Planned Parenthood threaten access to health care across this country, particularly for low-income women and men who already face barriers to access. For many of our Nation's underserved populations, Planned Parenthood is the only source for vital services, such as contraceptive services and counseling and breast and cervical cancer screenings. If the majority succeeds in its effort to defund Planned Parenthood, millions of Americans will be stripped of access to health care, in turn, creating hardships for American families. More troubling still is the majority's willingness to shut down the government in order to deny health care to millions of women. Women's health should not be used as a bargaining chip for political messaging. I urge my colleagues to put aside partisan politics driven by purposefully misleading videos. Attacking Planned Parenthood is a dangerous distraction to the real issues facing American women and families.”