On the recordJuly 15, 2022
I lived the days before abortion was safe and legal in the United States of America, and I remember the desperation of women, some of them my friends, some of whom had to make really dangerous decisions about how they were going to be able to exercise control over their own bodies and make this most personal decision on their own. Some women died because they sought these dangerous methods on their own to end a pregnancy. Let's be clear: Roe v. Wade wasn't the beginning of women having abortions; it was the end of women dying from abortions. Abortion is healthcare. When Roe v. Wade finally became the law of the land, women were able finally to control their own bodies. This bill is about freedom, and one of the most precious freedoms that we have is the freedom to travel from State to State in the United States of America. What happens to the woman who is happily pregnant and who may be going to visit her family in Illinois, where, thank God, abortion is still legal? Are you going to check her out? Is she going to have to prove somehow that she is not going for an abortion? How are you going to enforce this without going into all the personal history of women who are traveling across State lines? Enough is enough. In the United States of America, the right to travel is sacred. It is protected under the Commerce Clause, and we will not go back. Women will not go back.
