Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, before I begin my remarks concerning the Women's Health Protection Act, I want to state for the record that given Justice Kennedy's announcement today that he will retire, and there will therefore be a vacancy on the Supreme Court, any nominee for the Supreme Court must be committed to protecting the rights of all Americans, including the reproductive rights of women. Nominees can't just be focused on protecting corporate special interests and the powerful few. I also continue to believe that Supreme Court nominees should have broad support from both political parties and be able to clear a 60-vote threshold. A strong and independent judiciary that is above politics and is willing to stop abuses of power is more important than ever given that our current President regularly disregards established democratic norms and voices contempt for constitutional safeguards. Women's Healthcare

Mr. President, with this attention on the Supreme Court, it is appropriate that I rise on the 2-year anniversary of a critical victory for women and families across our Nation.

Two years ago, the Supreme Court's ruling in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt reaffirmed that every woman has the right to make her own healthcare decisions and chart her own destiny. This decision preserved women's access to critical health services and reinforced that placing an undue burden on abortion access violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that the Court has made this clear, politicians in Washington and in States across our country have made it their mission to undermine women's access to safe and legal abortions. Here in Congress, we have seen bill after bill that marginalizes women and restricts their fundamental rights, and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have confirmed Trump administration officials and judges who are vehemently opposed to women having the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions.

Additionally, State legislatures have pushed a number of burdensome restrictions. Politicians have pushed these restrictions under the guise of protecting women's health, but in the Whole Woman's Health case, the Supreme Court called their bluff and stated that the real point of these State laws was to deny women access to care.

Unfortunately, many States have remained persistent in their efforts. Since that 2016 decision, State legislatures have introduced 1,039 restrictive bills and have passed 180 of them. These bills have focused on everything from closing abortion clinics to criminalizing providers who offer reproductive health services. No matter their ZIP codes, women deserve equal access to care, but it is clear that there will continue to be attempts from politicians to violate women's rights.

With all of these relentless attacks, it is evident that what we need is Federal legislation that protects women's access to care in every State throughout our Nation. That is why, last year, I was proud to join with dozens of my Democratic colleagues to introduce the Women's Health Protection Act.

This legislation is vital because it protects women from the burdensome requirements that States are enacting. It would invalidate laws that require women to endure unnecessary tests and procedures and would invalidate laws that prevent doctors from prescribing and dispensing medication that is medically appropriate. Above all, the Women's Health Protection Act would ensure that women across the country receive safe, medically sound care if they choose to have an abortion.

At a time when politicians in Washington and in State legislatures continue to marginalize women, I will continue to fight for the Women's Health Protection Act because women deserve respect when making their most deeply personal healthcare decisions, and they have to have the full independence to do so. Tribute to Master Sergeant Lee Hirtle

Mr. President, I rise to recognize retired Air Force MSgt Lee Hirtle, who is also a retired New Hampshire State Trooper of Northfield, NH, as the June Granite Stater of the month for his incredible dedication to honoring our servicemembers and veterans who have passed.

Over a decade ago, at a military funeral, Master Sergeant Hirtle noticed that ``Taps,'' the traditional bugle call performed at military funerals, was playing from a CD player that was hidden behind a gravestone. When he returned home from the funeral, Master Sergeant Hirtle went to his basement and dusted off his old trumpet--an instrument he had not touched since he had been a college student. He taught himself to play ``Taps'' and practiced until he was skilled enough to play at the funerals of fellow veterans and servicemembers.

Since playing at his first funeral in 2007, he has sounded ``Taps'' over 3,650 times across the Northeast.

When asked why he continues to sound ``Taps,'' Master Sergeant Hirtle talked about his first military funeral. At that funeral, he stood alongside a New Hampshire National Guard member named CPL Scott Dimond. A year later, after Corporal Dimond was killed while serving in Afghanistan, Master Sergeant Hirtle sounded ``Taps'' at his funeral. As the master sergeant said, servicemembers like Corporal Dimond--and all of our veterans--deserve the live version of ``Taps.''

We can never fully repay those who have served or have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom, but we must commit ourselves to honoring those sacrifices. Master Sergeant Hirtle does that and is a true embodiment of that commitment. For his dedication to honoring those who served, I am so proud to recognize him as the Granite Stater of the month.

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