Richard Blumenthal

Let the American people see which bill reflects the values of each member of the U.S. Senate: life or death for unborn children.

There have been over 200 State laws passed in the last 3 years designed to make it harder or impossible for women to access abortion services in their communities.

Thank you to our witnesses. Thanks to our Ranking Member, Senator Grassley, and most especially to Senator Leahy.

I am more than happy to cast a vote on it along with the Women's Health Protection Act, and I hope they will be considered.

These regulations are in effect a pernicious charade, and one of the purposes that I see in this hearing is to remove the patina of respectability.

I welcome you this morning from the House, as well as my colleague Senator Baldwin of the Senate, who has been a leader for a long time in this area.

They have barred you entirely, but admitting privileges are irrelevant to the quality and excellence of your medical services because anyone in need of a hospital will be admitted to that hospital.

In effect, this law basically enforces the Constitution.

Women have been going over the border in Mexico. They have been buying medication on the black market.

Has the admitting privileges within that State affected the quality or effectiveness of your medical services?

Women are harmed when they cannot get the medical care that they need.

In essence, it would be irrelevant to the instance that Senator Cruz has just described.

It is unfair, it is undemocratic, and it is unconstitutional.

While they are on the books, they have a very practical impact on women's lives and a very severely restrictive impact on their legal rights and a very invasive and intrusive consequence for their exercise of personal choice.

In fact, it is narrowly targeted to certain kinds of, in effect, bogus legislation, legislation that masquerades as health protection but really is designed to prevent access to abortion services that are constitutionally protected.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly support S. 1696, the Women's Health Protection Act.

As the election approaches, I think the voters are going to want to know where legislators stand on these issues.

Today, one of our most basic protections of our Constitution--the right to make for ourselves the important decisions of our lives--is under assault for women throughout vast swaths of the Nation.

Thank you, Senator Grassley.

These laws are unwarranted, and they are unfair.

Our goal is to stop politicians from playing doctor and stop public officials from interfering in significant medical decisions.

We are convened today to hear testimony regarding the Women's Health Protection Act: Removing Barriers to Constitutionally Protected Reproductive Rights.

Have they created confusion, in fact, discouraged women from seeking to exercise their right?

I am shocked and outraged by the apparent practice on many campuses of, in effect, re-victimizing survivors who may be, in effect, victims.

I think the law here is heading in a very unfortunate direction.