mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2024-6-13

the Right to IVF Act is simple. It says that all Americans should have access to the tools that they need to start a family, no matter where they live or how much they earn or whether they serve in the military. prgtoken That all sounds obvious. We shouldn't even need this bill, but we do need this bill. We need this bill because a judge in Alabama ruled that an embryo that is created by basic assistive reproductive technologies like IVF can be considered children. And that even if embryos aren't viable, an IVF provider could be held liable for manslaughter or murder if anything happens to those embryos. prgtoken We need this bill because the cost for a single round of IVF is enough to bankrupt a family, let alone two or three or four rounds, and many parents are forced to bear all of those costs out-of-pocket. A constituent in Oregon said: Most fertility treatments are considered ``elective'' by insurance companies. I never elected to have a deformed uterus and fallopian tubes. prgtoken Another parent in Oregon who was a public servant for 22 years added up the out-of-pocket costs: $9,000 to see the Reproductive Endocrinologist, $2,000 for consultation and diagnostic testing . . . $7,000 for medications . . . $3,000 for cryo-preservation and storage fees . . . $5- to 7,000 for genetic testing . . . $2- to 3,000 for embryo transfer. Then, we hope and pray it works. If not, then we do a second round. Again, all cash. Our insurance benefits do not cover ANY infertility treatments. We have nothing left. prgtoken This is unacceptable. Fertility treatments are medical care that should be covered by insurance, full stop. We need this bill because many of our military servicemembers and veterans have been wounded and lost the ability to conceive, and many more are deployed to dangerous combat zones right now. Infertility rates for our members of the military can be up to three times higher than the rest of the population. They protect our families. Let us protect their ability to have a family and guarantee they have access to IVF and the other fertility care they need. prgtoken And we need this bill because, as we celebrate the month of June as Pride Month, we know that many of our LGBTQ+ friends and family members rely on IVF to conceive. prgtoken We shouldn't need this bill, but we do, to protect IVF providers, to cover IVF costs, protect the ability of members of our military, LGBTQ community to start a family. prgtoken Anyone who has been through IVF knows that someone who is willing to endure the long and heart-wrenching process that involves truly wants to become a parent, to have children, to raise a family. And we should do all we can to support that. prgtoken So I urge my colleagues to reconsider. Instead of being so anti-family, instead of denying the ability of our community members to have children, join us in this pr
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Peter Welch (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2024-6-13

I rise in support of this legislation. s, Senator Murray, Senator Booker, and Senator Duckworth. prgtoken You know, there are two things. One is good news, and one is bad news. I will start with the bad news. prgtoken We have a terrible U.S. Supreme Court. It will live in infamy for many reasons but none more than an ignominious decision that took away constitutional rights that American citizens enjoyed. They stripped women of their right to choose. Enormously bad consequences. It has created an incentive for folks who have their views to try to impose them on others, and we saw that in Alabama with their effort to prohibit people from having access to in vitro fertilization. prgtoken But there is good news. The good news: our American families, couples who want to have a child, who are so excited about taking on that challenge of loving this new person and caring for them through their infancy, through their adolescence, looking forward to when they themselves will be grandparents. That is the good news. prgtoken In 2022, 91,000 infants, through IVF, came into these families, so those couples have that opportunity to have this place to give the love that is within them that they can now express, having this child. That is really the good news here. So, yeah, I am upset about the Supreme Court, but I am so excited about American families that want to make this decision and have IVF as an option for them to be able to realize their dreams of giving love to this new person in the world. prgtoken Now, our colleagues are saying that this is a show vote so why pay attention to it. Well, you know what, they are right. They are right. It is a vote to show that we want to make certain, with the power of the U.S. Congress, that the decision a family wants to make about trying to conceive through IVF is protected; that they have the capacity to take advantage of the best medicine that is out there to realize that dream that is a dream about life. And what is wrong with showing the people of the United States that each and every one of us in the U.S. Senate wants to not only show that we respect and honor the decision prgtoken those citizens are making, but with the power invested in us as U.S. Senators, we are going to use the authority of our vote to guarantee they have that right? prgtoken .
HONORING THE LIFE OF REVEREND JAMES LAWSON
Sydney Kamlager-Dove (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-6-13

I rise today to honor the life of Reverend James Lawson, a pioneering civil rights activist whose enduring commitment to unity and nonviolence shaped our Nation. He was a beloved constituent of the 37th Congressional District. prgtoken As a young missionary, Reverend Lawson traveled to India, where he studied under Mahatma Gandhi. It was during this trip that he developed his guiding philosophy of civil disobedience, one that would inspire a generation of activists. prgtoken In the 1960s and 1970s, Reverend Lawson led nonviolent workshops with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as the organization worked to desegregate the South. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles and was named senior pastor of Holman United Methodist Church, also in my district, a largely Black congregation of 2,700. He preached for 25 years, leaving an enormous impact on the south L.A. community. prgtoken Reverend Lawson's visionary leadership changed the course of American history. At a time when tensions are escalating at home and abroad, his guidance will be deeply missed. He was a mentor to so many and a blessing to so many more. prgtoken Please join me in honoring his legacy and the values that he championed during his lifetime. Honoring Basketball Legends Jerry West and Bill Walton
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2024-6-13

. I rise to join my colleagues here. I want to thank my colleague from Washington, Senator Murray, for her leadership and so many others who are here on the floor today. prgtoken I come to speak also about the Right to IVF Act and want to say how important it is that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle support this. prgtoken I want to take one minute, though, to talk about the important decision the Supreme Court just made on mifepristone. It is so important because 60 percent of abortions in the State of Washington are done with this drug. It is a highly safe and effective medication used by millions of Americans. And the Court ruled on standing alone. It didn't reach any conclusion about the ludicrous arguments that the plaintiffs were making. prgtoken So America should not rest on this decision because anti-choice activists are going to keep using the courts to target abortion. It is just another reminder of why we have to fight for reproductive freedom and why we can't rest. prgtoken I also, though, want to talk about how important it is to support the legislation in front of us. Every American should have a chance to use fertility treatments to bring new life into this world and to become a parent. This opportunity wasn't always available. The first child conceived through IVF was born in 1978. That was an era of major advances and new freedoms for women: the right to have your own credit cards, the right to choose to have your access to an abortion and when you start your family, the right not to be discriminated against in so many ways. prgtoken Today, nearly half a century after IVF, it is safe, it is well- established, and many, many, many American families rely on it. In fact, more than 2 percent of all children born in the United States are born as a result of IVF. We have IVF to thank for over 2,000 new lives created in the State of Washington just in 2022. prgtoken IVF brings new life into the world and helps families start their families, and it shouldn't be controversial. That is why I can't believe that we have to take this action today because there are those who are trying to take this hard-won right away from families, to take away their reproductive rights and their freedoms. prgtoken Since the Dobbs decision revoked the constitutional right to abortion, we have seen waves and waves of different things that affect our healthcare. In February, in Alabama, the State supreme court shockingly ruled that frozen embryos legally have the same rights as living children. That forced IVF clinics in the State to temporarily halt their services. One can only guess why they halted those services. prgtoken At a Pacific Northwest facility in Seattle, a reproductive endocrinologist said her office got a wave of phone calls from fertility patients wanting to move embryos there, to the Northwest, after the Alabama ruling. They were terrified that the ruling could cause complications for the embryos and the f
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-6-13

I rise today to speak in support of my bill to protect IVF. Elissa Smith was living in Alabama when she heard the news this past February. She had been pregnant a few years earlier, but it had left her with scars, both emotionally and physically. prgtoken She had been in her third trimester with her first child when she had learned that she had cancer. She gave birth early to a beautiful baby girl. Then soon after, she underwent surgery, chemotherapy, multiple medical procedures--you name it--a care plan that helped to get rid of the disease but that also left her unable to conceive again. Thankfully, she had than undergone one round of IVF before her treatment for cancer. prgtoken Fast forward to early 2024, things were finally getting brighter. She and her husband had just begun to research surrogates to carry her viable embryos. Then, a gavel sounded out of her State courthouse, marking the ruling that changed theirs and so many other families' lives. prgtoken On February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court declared that frozen extrauterine embryos created through IVF should be considered children under State law--a ruling that painted would-be moms and their doctors as criminals and one that uprooted the dreams and began the nightmares of aspiring parents, as IVF clinics statewide soon paused treatments out of fear that their doctors and patients would be punished for trying to start families. prgtoken Elissa was one of these women. Now, it seemed like her desperately hoped for wish of growing her family was snatched away by an extremist court that either had no idea or simply didn't care about everything that had gone into trying to turn her dreams of a family into reality. prgtoken Elissa's story is exceptional. But it is not the exception. For so many women, that lifelong hope of having children is now stuck in a hellish limbo, as they remain uncertain whether more States will follow Alabama's lead; as they are forced to live in fear that success come November would even further imperil their right to try to create a family; as they remain unsure whether living in a red State under a Presidency could mean getting jail time for committing this supposed sin of needing modern medicine to bring into the world a baby to nuzzle and swaddle and love. prgtoken Look, I was actually stationed in Alabama many times throughout my 23 years of military service. And I didn't know it at the time back then, but infertility would become one of the most heartbreaking struggles of my life, my miscarriage more painful than any wound I ever earned on the battlefield. prgtoken It is only thanks to IVF that I get to be embarrassingly proud when I hang my 6-year-old's drawings on my Senate office walls or that I get to be tackled in bed every Mother's Day by my 9-year-old who runs into my room bearing the biggest of hugs and sweetest of cards. prgtoken So excuse me if I find it a bit offensive when a b
RECOGNIZING THE CENTER FOR BLACK EXCELLENCE AND CULTURE OF MADISON
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2024-6-13

I rise to recognize the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, which will break ground in Madison this year on Juneteenth National Independence Day. I wish also to acknowledge the many community leaders who have worked tirelessly to make the Center a reality. prgtoken The Center for Black Excellence and Culture was founded by Reverend Doctor Alex Gee who has been a fierce advocate for Madison's African- American community for more than 30 years. The Center will unite and uplift Madison's African-American community by providing a space for entrepreneurial exploration, cultural engagement, and celebration. prgtoken Rev. Dr. Gee and his board of directors have joined with other community leaders to raise over $28 million for the project. Now that they have reached their goal, they will begin construction on June 19, 2024. The decision to break ground on Juneteenth was an intentional and powerful one. prgtoken The new Black inspired and designed building will sit on 3.5 acres of land and will include many commercial spaces, including an art gallery and theatre space. Rev. Dr. Gee has convened a powerhouse team of Black leaders and hundreds of diverse Black voices to shape the Center. These leaders will support thousands of students through mentorship and professional development and teach students about African-American history and culture to inspire and advance the Black community in Madison and beyond. prgtoken The Center will also include a space dedicated to Rev. Dr. Gee's mother, Ms. Verline Gee, who served the Madison community for decades as a mentor, poet, social worker, and faith leader. Ms. Gee's story is one of strength and perseverance. She was born in Mississippi and worked alongside her parents as a migrant farmer in her youth. As a child she moved to the Midwest eventually making her way to Madison. Throughout her life, Ms. Gee was always passionate about education. She was one of the inaugural students to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Black Studies Program. The Center for Black Excellence and Culture will honor the memory of Ms. Gee and all other African-American community members who have contributed so much to Madison. prgtoken Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, but it also serves as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to dismantle deep-rooted systems of racial injustice. While strides have been made, the African-American community continues to face significant systemic injustices. Across Wisconsin, African-American families are five times more likely than White families to experience poverty and 61 percent of all African-American households in Dane County live near or below the poverty line. The presence of these injustices makes the Center for Black Excellence all the more critical. prgtoken True freedom requires liberty and equity for all. The Center for Black Excellence and Culture will contribute to this mission and
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John W. Hickenlooper (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2024-6-13

this is my son Jack, who I think you know. Every time I look at him, I remember the doctor telling my wife Robin and me that we had literally a one-in-a-million chance of naturally conceiving a child--a one-in-a-million chance. prgtoken Like so many other couples in America, we had experienced a family health issue that would make having a child very difficult and exceedingly unlikely--all but impossible. You don't know how hard it is to hear something so definitive, so final until you are in that situation. It was the end of a dream we had to create a child together, to grow our little family--our family that, like so many others, didn't have the usual path to this point, the usual path that makes having children without medical help all but certain. prgtoken But regardless of what the doctor was telling us, we knew that we would welcome a child with more love and care than I could ever put into words, if we only had the chance. prgtoken If red States like Alabama had their way, Robin's and my story would have ended there, in inconsolable heartbreak and what might have been, what should have been. Thankfully for us, we don't live in an America as envisioned by MAGA extremists in Alabama. prgtoken The one-in-a-million odds weren't the end of our dream. It was just the start of a new part. That part was called in prgtoken vitro fertilization. It is not an easy process. It comes with its ups and downs, its uncertainties, and tremendous cost, both economic and emotional. But it meant our dream could still come true. prgtoken And in December 2022, my wife and I welcomed this amazing little man, Jack Hickenlooper, into our family. In vitro gave us what we hoped for. It gave us our one in a million. And we are not the only ones. In 2022 alone, more than 2,300 babies were born in Colorado through fertility services. Across the country, it was nearly 100,000 families. Now, so many families like ours are cherishing the sacred experience of staring into your own child's eyes--when they take off the sunglasses--and of that child staring back. prgtoken Every family should have that same opportunity. And to restrict that opportunity in some States but not in others, or for some people but not for others, is nothing more than anti-American. Aren't we the country that stands for equality and freedom? prgtoken We are standing here voting on this today because the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, seizing the rights of millions of women, same- sex couples, and families like our own in the process. prgtoken Don't take my word for it. Look at Alabama. We have already seen in vitro services stopped cold in the State of Alabama. prgtoken That is not all. In the aftermath of the Roe decision, we have seen red States and MAGA s trying to roll back the rights to abortion, to in vitro, and even contraception--banning contraception in America in 2024. prgtoken The door is open right now for all of us to sh
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2024-6-13

thank you to Senator Duckworth for her leadership today on the floor. prgtoken In February, the Alabama Supreme Court placed the medical procedure that has helped millions of Americans realize their dream of having children, in vitro fertilization, or IVF, at risk. The Alabama judges used the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs case to justify their argument. prgtoken These extremist judges showed the American people that the Dobbs case was never just about abortion. Dobbs was a preview of coming atrocities, and the Supreme Court majority declared open season on American reproductive freedom. prgtoken And s got to work. States passed immediate and overbroad abortion bans; peeled back protections for access to birth control, IUDs, and Plan B; and put access to IVF at risk. They created confusing, restrictive, and punitive schemes across States and threatened to jail patients and providers. prgtoken And they aren't finished. s don't have to pass a national ban on abortion, birth control, or IVF to effectively achieve that goal. Confusion, misinformation, and fear are the point. In some States, they make it so difficult and so terrifying to get reproductive care that it is like it is already banned. prgtoken But in creating this chaos, s have made clear their intentions and their position: s will not protect the right to an abortion; s will not protect the right to birth control; and s will not protect the right to start a family. prgtoken s will try to hide their extremism and say they support contraception and IVF, but we are calling their bluff. prgtoken Given the chance to protect access to contraception, they voted no. And today, given the chance to vote to protect IVF, they will vote no. prgtoken s will continue to pursue their anti-choice, anti-freedom, and show the American people what ``GOP'' really stands for: Gutting Our Protections. The GOP are so offended by bodily autonomy that they would rather follow the extremism of the few than the will of the majority of American people who want their reproductive rights protected. prgtoken We must meet the clarity of their extremism with the clarity of justice. We will fight for reproductive freedom. We will fight for national protections for abortion, birth control, and IVF. We will keep putting them on the record, and we will guarantee that they are held accountable to the American people who will not forget who tossed away their freedom in pursuit of radical rightwing extremism. prgtoken .
CELEBRATING DIA DE PORTUGAL
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-6-13

I rise today to celebrate Dia de Portugal. It is a national Portuguese holiday celebrating the anniversary of Portugal as a nation. It is the equivalent of their Fourth of July. prgtoken The story of the Portuguese Americans, I think, is also a part of the American story. Why? Because the American story is one of immigrants past and immigrants present. I think it is the secret sauce of America. prgtoken Every generation of immigrants coming to this country for over 200 years add value to our country. My district in California is home to generations of the Portuguese diaspora, the majority of them coming from the Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal out in the middle of the Atlantic. prgtoken As the co-chair of the Portuguese Caucus and a proud descendant of Portuguese immigrants, the traditions and values that my family took from the Azores have always been a part of who I am. prgtoken This year, it is particularly meaningful to celebrate Dia de Portugal because it is the 50th anniversary of what they call the Carnation Revolution. That is a revolution that occurred in Portugal in the mid- 70s when they transitioned from a dictatorship to a full-fledged democracy. prgtoken Now a contributing member of the European Union, Portugal is one of America's longest and strongest allies. It was one of the first to recognize the United States as an independent Nation after the Revolutionary War and it is also an original member of NATO. prgtoken Join me in celebrating this special occasion and the strong bond between Portugal and the United States and the Portuguese people and people from our country. ``Happy celebration of the day of Portugal,'' ``Feliz Dia de Portugal.'' Protect SNAP