Sam Farr: “The bill we are debating today, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, purports to address gender discrimination by…”

“The bill we are debating today, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, purports to address gender discrimination by preventing abortions on the basis of sex. While one of the most effective ways to end gender discrimination is to empower women, H.R. 3541 only serves to marginalize women even further. Today, minority women have to overcome additional hurdles to receive the quality healthcare they deserve and this legislation only serves to subject them to even further scrutiny when making healthcare decisions. This legislation restricts women's access to reproductive healthcare by threatening doctors with up to five years in prison and other penalties if they perform sex selection abortions. If the drafters of H.R. 3541 were really trying to end sex-selective abortions, wouldn't they also be prosecuting those who sought an abortion for these reasons, not only doctors? With doctors fearful of yet even more restrictions to their practice, many will simply refuse to treat women who want to obtain a safe and legal abortion. After all, abortion is still a constitutionally guaranteed right in this country. In addition, this bill includes language requiring any medical or mental health professional to report known or suspected sex-selective abortions. However, in virtually all circumstances, it would be impossible for reproductive healthcare providers to determine whether a woman seeks a sex-selective abortion, thus amounting to a ``witch hunt''.…”