Prohibiting Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, this weekend I watched the Planned Parenthood videos that are in the news, including one in which the organization's leadership says very clearly that the statements made by some of their staff are totally unacceptable. I believe that is important for everyone to hear.

With that said, here is the great danger with the legislation before the Senate today: This bill paints a big red target on some of the most basic, essential health care services for women in America: birth control, gone; pregnancy tests, gone; prenatal services, gone; HIV tests, gone;

breast cancer screenings, gone; cervical cancer screenings, gone; ovarian cancer screenings, gone; vaccinations that prevent cancers, gone; treatment for urinary tract infections, gone; testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, gone; basic physical exams, gone; treatment for digestive or breathing problems, gone; treatment for chronic conditions, gone; pediatric care, gone; adoption referrals, gone; nutrition programs, gone; referrals to hospitals and specialists, gone.

When you wipe out Planned Parenthood's funding, you dramatically and painfully reduce women's access to services that have absolutely nothing to do with abortion--nothing to do with abortion. This bill will take away the guarantee that Medicaid patients have their free choice of doctors in the program. The people who this bill will hurt the most are poor women who have nowhere else to turn.

I urge my colleagues today to drop this misguided campaign. Instead of restricting women's access to health care services--such as the ones I have just outlined--let's work on a bipartisan basis to improve access to health care services for women in America.

I yield the floor.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source