On the recordSeptember 22, 2021
I thank my colleague from Louisiana for hosting this Special Order to discuss the abortion on demand act. Mr. Speaker, this bill imposes national abortion on demand until birth, abolishing all past, present, and future State laws on this topic. Not only does this pose a grave threat to States' rights, but it will also harm countless babies and women along the way. During Rules Committee, I asked a simple question: Does anything in this bill actually have any reasonable health benefit for women? And the answer is, no, it does not. The bill the Democrats name the Women's Health Protection Act has nothing to do with women's health. This bill would wipe out countless State laws that protect women and babies, like clinic regulation and parental notice, including a law I shepherded through the Minnesota State Legislature on women's right to know. This law simply requires a physician to provide a woman seeking an abortion information about medical risks. I can't imagine a world in which a physician performs a non-emergent medical procedure on any person without explaining their options and risks beforehand, but that is apparently the world my Democrat colleagues want to live in. As a co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, one of my highest priorities as a Member of Congress is protecting innocent life. This bill is a direct, tragic attack on life, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it.
