Date: 2016-02-25
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. next Tuesday the Supreme Court will take up Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt. which is a case that challenges Texas outright offensive effort to strip women of their right to choose. Last night the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed a similar law to move forward in Louisiana. all but guaranteeing the closure of three of four abortion clinics in that State unless the Supreme Court intervenes there as well. The men who have passed these lawsto be very clear. the Texas State Legislature is 80 percent male. and Louisiana has just made it up from dead last this year at 85 percentclaimed that it would increase the medical accountability and safety of facilities that provide abortion. That is the new message. the new veil. that covers these laws with the air of legitimacy: We want to make your abortion safer. So every doctor needs to have admitting privileges at a local hospital and every clinic needs to function like an emergency center. It sounds logical until you hear what the folks behind these laws have to say after the laws have passed. In Texas. thenGovernor Rick Perry said: "The ideal world is one without abortion. Until then. we will continue to pass laws to ensure that they are as rare as possible." One of the authors of the bill said that she was especially proud that "Texas always takes the lead in trying to turn back what started with Roe v. Wade." The first problem here is the same one we have dealt with over and over and over and over again. because Roe v. Wade isnt something you turn back. It wasnt an executive order. It wasnt even a law passed by Congress. It was a legal challenge 40 years ago that required the Supreme Court to consider whether or not women had the right to make decisions about their bodies. They decided and set a precedent that every woman in this Nation had the constitutional right to an abortion. What is more. the Court made it clear that States cannot use laws to create an undue burden for women who are seeking to exercise that right. The Court affirmed that decision once more in 1992. Women in Texas now have firsthand experience of what happens when States ignore the Supreme Court. From what I can see. there is no way that the Texas law can be considered anything other than an undue burden. which brings us to the second problem: There is absolutely no logical. medical reason to suddenly require these clinics to meet the standards of a hospital. These laws are opposed by a host of leading medical groups. including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. professionals who know better than anyone what kinds of skills and resources should be necessary for an abortion. which is one of the safest medical procedures out there. I find it incredibly hard to believe that whole organizations of physicians would oppose any of these laws if they really did make clinics safer. Mr. Speaker. but I digress. In Texas. the full implementation of the bill that is being challenged next week would force more than 75 percent of abortion clinics in that State to close. In fact. with the limited implementation they have had to date. the number of clinics has been cut in half. If it is allowed to go into effect. only 10 clinics will remain to serve the 5.4 million Texas women of reproductive age. What is even worse is that. while these laws are being masqueraded as efforts to make abortions safer. they are forcing more women down the dangerous path of attempting to end their pregnancies on their own. A study by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project found that women who report barriers to abortion are more likely to selfinduce an abortion. putting their lives at risk in the process. This sounds like 1955. not 2016. Mr. Speaker. these laws are an absolute farce. and it is time to stop the sham. Women deserve to make the choices that work for them. If that means having an abortion. they should be able to do it safely. without traveling hundreds of miles or without waiting weeks to be seen. My colleagues and I are here on the floor tonight because we stand with the women in Texas. with the women in Louisiana. and with the women across this country. women who want to make their own decisions about when. where. and how to make decisions that will change their lives. women whose voices are seldom represented in the legislative bodies. which are filled with men who are ready to take away their rights. It is now my pleasure to yield to the illustrious Member from the State of Texas. someone who has been a constant fighter for everyones rights. including womens rights. Congresswoman JACKSON LEE.