Women's Reproduction Freedom

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support and in defense of women's reproductive freedom and equal rights to comprehensive healthcare.

The leaked Alito opinion shows the Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, the critical precedent that has protected a woman's right to bodily autonomy for nearly 50 years. Suddenly, millions of women across America are on the brink of being denied their fullness of rights, and America is about to become less free. Undeterred, Republicans are now publicly talking about a national abortion ban, States rights notwithstanding. We are staring down an emergency.

I was a young teen when the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade. That remarkable ruling meant that my generation would not have to suffer the cruel and dangerous world where abortion was illegal.

My generation, and all who have come after, have benefited beyond measure from ensuring that women have control over their bodies and are able to make their personal healthcare decisions in private counsel with their families and their doctors, without having to risk their safety or their lives.

In the House, we passed the Women's Health Protection Act to codify Roe. Across the Capitol yesterday, 51 Senators turned their backs on women's rights and voted against this legislation. It is shameful. I am calling on the Senate to work together to protect women across the country. We cannot afford to backslide. We must preserve access to safe medical procedures and respect women's bodily autonomy. Mental Health Awareness Month

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.

As President Biden declared in his proclamation this month, each May we raise awareness about the importance of mental health and its impact on the well-being of all Americans, including children, adults, families, and communities across our Nation.

We also give thanks to the dedicated mental health providers whose service and support improve the lives of so many Americans. We stand in solidarity with those who are experiencing mental health conditions, renewing our commitment to providing them with the support they need and deserve.

Madam Speaker, every day Americans bear a tremendous mental health burden, exacerbated by COVID-19. The pandemic has increased daily challenges for all of us and for so many have pushed us to our limits. Frontline workers, seniors forced into isolation, parents juggling work and teaching our kids from home, and especially our young people navigating life's decisions, often without the basic support systems they deserve and need.

We feel the impact of our daily interaction with family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers, and we see the impact in the numbers. Increased demand for mental health services, rising incidents of domestic violence, and far too often stories of people, old and young, losing all hope and dying by suicide.

I have heard from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago about the severity of the pediatric mental health crisis. Prior to the pandemic, Lurie Children's used to get 50 calls per week for new appointments for mental health services. They are now getting 50 calls a day. Their emergency department treated a prepandemic two to three suicide attempts each month. That number has jumped to two or three attempts each day.

Countless teachers have come to me telling me about the struggles their students are facing and the increasing difficulties they endure simply managing their classrooms. A study found that the mental health of colleges students declined between 2013 and 2021, with 135 percent increase in depression, and 110 percent increase in anxiety.

According to the CDC, during the pandemic 18- to 24-year-olds became 25 percent more likely to report they had seriously considered suicide. In my district, Dylan Buckner, a star quarterback due to graduate with honors in mere months, was lost to suicide in January of 2021, devastating his family, friends, and community.

More recently, my community lost a shining light, Orli Sheffey, to suicide this spring. She was a wonderful young woman I had the privilege of knowing her entire life. Her parents, Steve and Timna, her sisters, Ariel and Ayelet, are heartbroken but are also committed to helping others get the mental healthcare they need. Steve specifically asked that Congress take up the issue of mental health on college campuses.

Another of my constituents lost their son, Washington Metropolitan Police Officer Jeff Smith, due to physical and mental injuries incurred on January 6. Officer Smith's father shared with me that the stigma around mental health and the lack of access to care contributed to his tragic loss.

Orli's, Dylan's, and Jeff's stories, like everyone's, are specific to their individual circumstances, but the tragedy of young lives cut short and the incidence of people of all ages not able to get the care they need reflect our national failure to meet this mental health moment.

As a Nation, we desperately need more mental health awareness, education, and better mental health services. We need more mental health providers and residents available to both adults and to children to address the access gap that so many families confront.

Getting America healthy requires that we get those facing these challenges the resources they need, or if we as a Nation are going to achieve our greatest potential, then we must help the sickest among us get healthy so they can reach their full potential.

In Illinois, you can use the Call4Calm text line. If you or a loved one are struggling with stress related to the COVID pandemic and need emotional support, text ``talk'' to 552020. It is free, and it is anonymous. Veterans can call 1-800-273-8255 or text 838255. The number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 800-273-8255.

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