On the recordOctober 3, 2017
I thank Chairman Conyers for yielding to me. Madam Speaker, today I rise for Katie in California and in support of women everywhere who have relied on access to safe abortion procedures in their lifetime. When Katie and her husband found out as newlyweds that Katie was pregnant, they were overjoyed. Eighteen weeks later, they discovered that the fetus had multiple severe health problems, including spina bifida and a tethered spinal cord. This news was heartbreaking, and Katie and her husband made the decision to end the pregnancy at 22 weeks. Katie wants lawmakers in Washington to know that it is not their right to make this decision for her or other women. She says that it is a horrific situation, and until you have been through it, you have no idea, and you can't make that decision for someone else. On behalf of Katie, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 36. We must stop the bans.
