Barbara Mikulski: “I will vote to sustain the President's veto of H.R. 1833, the late term abortion ban bill. I do so recognizing the…”

“I will vote to sustain the President's veto of H.R. 1833, the late term abortion ban bill. I do so recognizing the gravity of the issue. I do so for a very basic reason. I believe that women, in consultation with their physicians, must make decisions on what is medically necessary in reproductive matters. It must be a medical decision not a political decision. At the very core of this vote is a very basic question. Who decides? Who decides whether a difficult pregnancy threatens a woman's life? Who decides whether a woman's physical health will be seriously harmed if a pregnancy is continued? Who decides what is medically necessary for a particular woman in her unique circumstances? Who decides? The answer must be that doctors decide. Doctors, not politicians, must make these decisions. The women themselves must decide. But politicians should not be making these medical decisions. If this bill is enacted, Congress will be shackling physicians. As one witness on this bill testified, Congress will be 'legislating malpractice.' Doctors will be faced with an impossible choice. They can deny to their patients a procedure that they believe to be medically necessary. Or they will face criminal prosecution. We should not make criminals out of doctors acting in the best interests of their patients.”