Tammy Baldwin: “in 1973, the Supreme Court held that women have a constitutional right to choose an abortion. That decision, Roe v.…”

“in 1973, the Supreme Court held that women have a constitutional right to choose an abortion. That decision, Roe v. Wade, was carefully written to hold the rights of women in America paramount in reproductive decisions. This decision and those that followed have held that women have a constitutional right to choose an abortion. But, after fetal viabilities, States could ban abortions as long as they allowed exceptions for cases in which a woman's life or health is endangered. In essence, Roe v. Wade says that women matter, that women have the right to decide whether and when to have children, and that women shall not be forced to give their lives or sacrifice their health to carry a child. It also says that these choices are private, that they are to be made by a woman in consultation with her physician, her family, and whomever else she chooses to consult for counsel. Government has no place in this most private decision. The legislation before us today is in direct contravention of the court's ruling. It does not ban post-viability abortions as its sponsors have claimed. It bans abortion procedures regardless of how far along in a woman's pregnancy the decision occurs. This legislation as drafted does not provide an exception to preserve the health of a mother as required by law. Let there be no doubt about it, this legislation is nothing but a political issue. This legislation does nothing to end post-viability abortions as our alternative would.…”