Mark Takano: “What the gentleman from Texas is suggesting that we do is delete women from S. 1198. That, I will not do. Yes, I…”

“What the gentleman from Texas is suggesting that we do is delete women from S. 1198. That, I will not do. Yes, I strongly believe in Article I. The accusation that Secretary McDonough issued a radical rule, well, what is this so-called radical rule he is mentioning that he has issued? The rule that Secretary McDonough issued, the interim final rule, says that abortion is available based on the 1996 law, which gave him the authority to define medical benefits available at the VA. That is very clear what Congress did. It is under that authority that this Secretary has made not a radical rule but simply a rule which allows veteran women to enjoy the same rights that they had when they were serving in the military as Active- Duty servicemembers. Women serving in the military have access to abortions when they have been raped, when they are victims of incest, and, yes, when their pregnancies pose a danger to their life. Who is trying to play God here are the Members on the other side of the aisle who wish to deny women who have worn the cloth of this country, who have served our country, who fought for all of our freedoms, to deny them the freedom to be able to consider the full range of medical procedures that they need in order to preserve their own life. What is extreme here is that they want to deny women to even be able to access abortion counseling, counseling which may save their lives. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”