Women's Health Protection Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, the Women's Health Protection Act, or WHPA.

WHPA is the bill that will protect the right to access abortion after the tragic fall of Roe v. Wade. It ensures in Federal law the right to abortion care for every woman in every State and ensures States may not erode that right.

You will hear Republicans say our bill goes too far, but that is simply not true. Our bill preserves the protections of Roe that we have lived with for 50 years, affirmed through decades of subsequent court decisions. WHPA prohibits the bans and restrictions that violate the spirit of Roe, from outright bans to laws forcing women to undergo invasive ultrasounds, unnecessary waiting periods, or forcing doctors to give patients medically inaccurate information.

You will hear Republicans repeat over and over again that Democrats are voting for abortion up until the moment of birth. Actually, for 50 years the Court had the provision of an exception for late-term abortion in Roe to preserve the life or the health of the mother. It is because they valued the life of the mother.

Do Republicans actually believe the mother's life is expendable?

Apparently so.

What you will not hear is Republicans say that the vast majority of Americans do not want Roe to be overturned.

You will not hear an apology to the 10-year-old who was raped and had to travel to Indiana for an abortion because it was prohibited in her home State.

You will not hear an acknowledgment that women are capable of deciding for themselves whether to terminate a pregnancy.

This bill respects our right to make our own decisions about our bodies. It is time to put control of our bodies back in our hands. Now is the time to pass the Women's Health Protection Act.

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