Women's Public Health and Safety Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3495, yet another radical GOP assault on women's health care. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues are at it again, attempting to use any excuse to pursue their extreme agenda. They are attacking Planned Parenthood in order to limit women's constitutionally protected right to choose what is best for them and their families.

The legislation is particularly offensive and egregious. Let me tell you what this legislation is. In the words of more than 120,000 family physicians nationwide, it represents an unprecedented level of legislative interference in the patient-physician relationship. It is not only ill-advised, it is dangerous.

This legislation would, in the words of the National Women's Law Center or the National Health Law Program, ``wreak havoc on our Nation's safety net programs and millions' access to health care across the country.'' It represents a direct attack by Members of Congress on women's ability to control their own reproductive health.

This legislation undermines patient choice of providers and provides States unchecked authority to terminate providers from Medicaid without cause. This is a direct attack on the freedom of low-income women to choose their own trusted and qualified medical provider.

I stand, Madam Speaker, with Planned Parenthood. I stand with all the physicians and health professionals out there who provide lifesaving, preventative health services to millions of women and men every day. I stand with the hundreds of millions of Americans to say that I will not stand by silent and allow those who are committed to ending abortion access in this country use fraud and deception to cut millions of people off from their health care.

We cannot allow Republicans to win their war on women. I urge my colleagues to oppose the extreme Republican agenda and vote ``no'' on H.R. 3495.

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