Vicky Hartzler: “As a woman, as a mom, as a former teacher who worked with hundreds of teenagers and who loves each and every one of…”

“As a woman, as a mom, as a former teacher who worked with hundreds of teenagers and who loves each and every one of them, I rise in opposition to this bill, which isn't about freedom for women; it is about death for babies. We are faced with multiple questions today. Is it okay to coerce a woman to have an abortion? Is it okay to send a 13-year-old girl home to perform a do-it- yourself abortion on herself without medical supervision? Is it okay for her to have this abortion without her parents even knowing? Is it okay to take the life of a baby just because it has Down syndrome? Is it okay to take the life of a baby just because it is a girl? Is it okay? It is not okay. The answer to all of these things should be no. Yet, this bill eliminates protections for women and girls facing coercion, neglect, and discrimination. It endangers their health, and it ends the life of a living human being with a plan and a purpose from God and who deserves to live. We are here to defend the basic right to life, and I plead with my colleagues to vote ``no.''”