Political Quotes

“I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the inclusion of full reproductive health care services for women in any uniform national health benefits package that is mandated as part of health care reform. All women should have the opportunity to make decisions about their own reproductive health. They must also have the ability to act on such decisions through access to the full range of reproductive health services including contraception, prenatal care, and abortion. Most private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations currently cover abortion services as part of reproductive health care for women. In fact, over 78 million women now have insurance coverage for abortion services, including Members of Congress, their spouses and all Federal workers, under the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan. We are not talking about adding a new health benefit for women; we are continuing coverage of a health benefit that most women already have. To eliminate any component of reproductive health care for women is discriminatory. Abortion is one of the most commonly performed and safest surgical procedures performed on women in this country. According to insurance industry analysts, unlike experimental drugs and new medical treatments, abortion is a safe and proven procedure. It is neither a social nor a political issue for the health insurance industry and it should stay that way.”