Janice Schakowsky: “Mr. Chairman, abortion is a legal health care option for women in this country and has been for almost 30 years, and…”

“Mr. Chairman, abortion is a legal health care option for women in this country and has been for almost 30 years, and this right should be no different for Federal prisoners. For that reason, I rise in strong support of the DeGette amendment. Mr. Chairman, we have all heard all of the arguments I think, but I want to tell my colleagues about an experience that I had when I was in the State legislature in Illinois. We wanted to talk about real options for mothers in prison, or women who gave birth in prison. All of those who are so in favor of taking away the constitutional rights of women to have an abortion, to choose an abortion, ought to think about what happens when that woman does have the baby. I had legislation that would have offered women in prison who were nonviolent, short-term offenders, that is their prison sentence was less than 7 years, to be in residential settings where they could be mothers and could be with their children and could prepare for a life after prison to be with their children.”