Women's Public Health and Safety Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BERA. I thank my colleague from Colorado.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to another bill restricting women's access to health care. The so-called Women's Public Health and Safety Act is not about public health, and it is certainly not about safety.

This is a bill that takes away individual rights. It is a bill that would significantly restrict a woman's access to health care, where they want to go.

This is fundamentally about individual rights and an individual's ability to choose where they want to get health care. It is another example of politicians coming into the exam room and making decisions.

Now, my colleagues on the right, Madam Speaker, often will say they want to stand for individual rights. Well, Planned Parenthood has not broken any laws, to my knowledge.

If an individual patient wants to go get their care at Planned Parenthood, that is their right. Planned Parenthood is providing access to care. They are doing exactly what their name says: planning and helping families decide when they are ready to start a family, planning parenthood. We should be protecting that fundamental individual right.

As a doctor, I find it offensive when the government comes into my exam room and tells patients what they can and cannot do. Fundamentally to the practice of medicine, I have to answer my patients' questions, empower them to make the choices that they want to, and let them make those choices.

Again, patients should be able to choose their provider. Congress should not be picking and choosing who people can go see. This is about individual rights and preserving that right.

I am proud to stand with Planned Parenthood. I am proud to fight to preserve those individual rights. As a doctor, we have got to protect access to care.

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