“We have a moral obligation to promote and protect women’s health, not endanger it,” said Rep. Woolsey.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) spoke in support of women’s health and reproductive rights on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. She criticized the House Republican leadership for giving priority to their agenda, rather than the needs of the American people. Instead of passing legislation that will protect the health of America’s Seniors, provide a Child tax credit for America’s working families or provide local communities the support they need to respond to terrorist attack, today, the Republican House leadership brought to the floor legislation that negatively affects the health of America’s women and limits their civil liberties.

The Partial Birth Abortion Ban that passed today, will limit a woman’s right to privacy and could adversely affect her health and future fertility. The legislation passed by 281 - 142.

The following is Rep. Lynn Woolsey’s statement as written in opposition to the “Partial Birth Abortion Ban:”

“Mr. Speaker, …Here we are, at the end of the fiscal year, with much work remaining. Our fiscal year budget is not complete; our seniors still don’t have a prescription drug benefit; and our local communities still need more support in the war against terror.

“And yet, what does the majority decide to bring to the floor? A bill that everyone knows will not pass the muster of the Supreme Court. Because there is no exemption to protect women’s health, this bill not only fails to meet moral requirements, it fails to meet constitutional requirements.

“We have a moral obligation to promote and protect women’s health, not endanger it. Instead, we must debate measures to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and to ensure that pregnant women have affordable access to the care they need so that they can deliver healthy babies.

“The Supreme Court has been clear: our laws cannot take away a woman’s right to a safe and accepted medical procedure when her health is in danger. And yet, the "pro-life" lobby in Congress chooses to push legislation that politicizes women’s health and erodes a woman’s constitutional right to choose a medical procedure to protect her health.

“We know that in the final stages of pregnancy, things can go wrong. And in these unimaginable circumstances, a woman cannot be required to risk her health and future fertility by continuing a dangerous pregnancy. I’m not a doctor, so I’m not going to stand here and pretend that I have the necessary expertise to make medical decisions for my constituents…nor should any Member of Congress or employee of a federal agency. Instead, I want every woman in my district and across the nation to have access to procedures that she and her physician feel are the safest and most appropriate for her situation.

“Let’s be honest—the debate today is not about aborting viable, healthy children. Few late term abortions occur, and those that do are tragically necessary to save the life or health of the mother. This debate is about limiting a woman’s right to privacy by restricting access to constitutionally protected medical procedures. The American people must know that while a great deal of our work remains undone, we’re here debating a bill that makes an unconstitutional attempt to diminish a woman’s right to access for a particular medical procedure.

“I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and oppose this conference report.” To unsubscribe from these periodic email updates, please email the address below: unsubscribe.woolsey@mail.house.gov