On the recordFebruary 10, 2011
In a time of great economic strife, Americans deserve more from their leaders than recycled attacks on their constitutional rights. Let's not deny women access to birth control and wellness care provided by Planned Parenthood, or the Presidential Women's Center in my district, or the many other providers instrumental in reducing unwanted pregnancies in America. Let's not levy special taxes on women who have never had an abortion, but pay for a private health plan that covers these procedures. Let's not subject any citizen to government intrusion in the doctor's office because of their gender. The retired women in my district who were on the front lines of the fight for equality in reproductive rights know what path these policies will lead us down. Let's not create a crisis in America--a crisis of public health, of back-alley abortions and accidental sterilization, of less education and more sexually transmitted diseases, of fewer routine screenings and more cervical cancer. We already have a crisis on our hands in this country--a jobs crisis--and in November, Americans voted this Congress to address it. ____________________
