Women's Public Health and Safety Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Madam Speaker, another day, another attack by Republicans on women's health care in the House of Representatives. But this one is different. It goes beyond the typical attacks on women and endangers their health and the health of entire communities.

By holding Medicaid hostage, this bill seeks to intimidate doctors and hospitals into not providing a safe and constitutionally protected service.

I am appalled by how far Republicans are willing to go. The language in the bill is so vague that it would allow States to exclude entire providers from the Medicaid program. Minority and low-income women would be disproportionately impacted and would stand to lose access to critical health services like birth control and family planning.

It is time to stop the attacks. Women must be free to make their own healthcare choices in consultation with their doctors and without threats from Republican politicians in Washington, and we must have as one of those choices Planned Parenthood.

For many, it is the only place they can turn to for even the most basic care. Women--especially low-income women--turn to Planned Parenthood for affordable and dependable primary care services. They fill a vital gap that community health centers can't fill by themselves. We are all better off because of their cancer screenings, STI testing, and wellness exams.

Republicans are trying to hold our health care hostage by using baseless attacks to shut down Planned Parenthood, using heavily doctored videos. It is time to stop using health care as a weapon to bully women.

We must vote against this bill.

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