On the recordDecember 14, 2011
Mr. Speaker, this is a positive bill for our military families, and when we move to the bill I'm going to take an opportunity to address that. But while we're on the rule, I have to express my immense disappointment that still, to this day, we, as a Congress, will not even bring to the table, we won't even look at the fact that if a military servicewoman is raped and becomes pregnant, she does not have access to an abortion procedure. Mr. Speaker, this is really an outrage. We say that we want to help our servicewomen. We say that we are finally starting to treat them as the warriors that they are, and yet I ask you: How many women have to fight and die for our country in order to have the same rights as women sitting in Federal prison? This is a slap in the face to all military women. They volunteer to train, they volunteer to deploy and fight for our country, and we repay them by treating them as less worthy than prisoners. Honoring women in our military means changing this policy and treating them with respect. Haven't they earned this? It's well past time to show them that they have.





