Frederica Wilson: “As the House begins consideration of H.R. 1797, I rise in solidarity with the women of the world. I rise in outrage at…”

“As the House begins consideration of H.R. 1797, I rise in solidarity with the women of the world. I rise in outrage at yet another attempt to control our bodies and make choices for us instead of allowing women to make their own choice with their doctors and their families. First of all, it's the woman's body, not yours. She alone bears the burden, the pain and joy that it brings. Please stop trying to regulate our reproductive organs. They belong to us. To the men who feel so inclined to tell women what to do, I ask: Have you ever had a menstrual period? Have you ever felt unbearable pain in every bone of your body during childbirth? Will you be there for a mother when she needs prenatal care, formula, and diapers? Will you support Head Start programs? Will you focus on creating good public schools? Will you reform foster care and stop greasing the prison pipeline with unwanted children? There are grandmothers living in trailer parks and public housing single-handedly raising millions of grandchildren. Where are you when Grandma is trying to feed Jerome, Shaquita, Pedro, Heather, and John? The only time I see you is on the floor of the House trying to take away Grandma's Social Security and attacking her Medicare and food stamps. Grandma doesn't have a car, so she has no ID so she can vote you out of office.…”