Nita Lowey: “We have heard a considerable amount of concern from our friends on the other side of the aisle about older predator…”

“We have heard a considerable amount of concern from our friends on the other side of the aisle about older predator males smuggling or forcing young women across State lines for an abortion. We share that concern. States must do a better job of enforcing the statutory rape laws, and we must make it clear to older men that if they have sex with underage women, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows. We must also ensure that women are not being forced or coerced to cross State lines to obtain an abortion. We support the right to choose, and we must guarantee that every woman can exercise that right free from harm, threats or intimidation. Our motion to recommit will instruct the Committee on the Judiciary to report back a substitute that will make it illegal to force or coerce a woman across State lines so that she can obtain an abortion. The substitute also strengthens the underlying bill's criminal penalties by sentencing violators to 5 years in jail. This amendment gets at the heart of what the underlying bill was trying to do, deter and punish those who intentionally try to evade parental laws and force young women to have abortions without the proper consent or notification requirements having been met. H.R. 3682, as currently written, is far too overbroad.”