Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to present a reasonable solution to a challenge that millions of American women face: access to birth control. Seventy percent of women aged 18 to 64 reported using oral contraceptives throughout their lifetime. A majority of women also support making birth control available over the counter without a prescription. That is why I will be offering a motion to recommit this bill in a few moments, to stand for those women. Women should be able to access their preferred birth control method conveniently. Unfortunately, that is not the reality for many women. In rural Iowa, some women have to drive an hour to be able to see a gynecologist. That means taking a day off of work, finding additional childcare, spending hours in a car, and paying expensive gas prices to get there. This is unreasonable when we have safe and effective birth control options that have been FDA-approved that still aren't available over the counter. My amendment would require the FDA to give priority review for over- the-counter access to routine-use oral contraceptives that the agency has already deemed safe for women aged 18 and up. I want to emphasize that this is for regular birth control pills, not emergency contraceptives like Plan B. Making birth control available over the counter would have a significant impact on women's lives. My colleagues across the aisle give you a whole lot of lip service about supporting women.…”