Louise Slaughter: “I cannot help thinking that we are moving back to the 16th century. This is the most far-reaching assault on women that…”

“I cannot help thinking that we are moving back to the 16th century. This is the most far-reaching assault on women that I have ever seen in this House. I want to put a human face on this. In 1963, I was an intern at the Buffalo General Hospital. I dealt with two poor women who had back-alley abortions. One had eight children, one had six. They were done with coat hangers, and both those women died. I still see their faces. At the same time that was going on in Buffalo at the place I now live, Seattle, women could go down to a travel agency, buy a ticket to Japan, have a day's shopping and an abortion, and come home. Now, that is the circumstance in 1961, 1962, 1963 in this country. For us to be moving back in this direction, overriding Roe v. Wade, and the Hyde amendment, is simply a step back into the dark ages and it is absolutely wrong. This is not a women's issue; this is a human issue. Those 14 children in Buffalo who grew up without their mothers because their mothers could not have full reproductive services in a decent hospital in a major city in the United States are what Members are saying is all right for all of the children of this country. Leave no children behind, my President has said. Well, this is guaranteed to leave children behind if we step back this far into the past. I urge Members to vote against this rule.”