Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, which my colleagues and I wrote to support reproductive choice.

Simply put, this bill codifies the constitutional right to travel, which includes the ability to cross State lines to get safe and legal access to abortion.

The reality is that an increasing number of women are now forced to either carry an unwanted pregnancy against their will, even in cases of rape and incest, or travel hundreds of miles just to safely receive reproductive healthcare.

This is especially dangerous for indigenous women, who are 2\1/2\ times more at risk for rape and sexual assault. We cannot force women to give birth. Worse, those forced to carry out an unwanted pregnancy are giving birth in a Nation with one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the developed world.

When compared to Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, the United States' maternal death rate is more than twice the rate of these countries.

What is more, Black and indigenous women will be among the most at risk because they are more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth. They are also two to three times more likely to experience a pregnancy death than their White counterparts.

If access to safe and legal abortion becomes more restricted and inaccessible, the Black maternal mortality rates are expected to jump by a whopping 30 percent or more.

All told, taking away Federal protections for abortion hits Black women, indigenous women, women of color, low-income women, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities the hardest.

This is about healthcare justice. This is about social justice. This is about economic justice. Taking away our right to safe and legal abortion is yet another way to try and control us.

Please listen carefully. Black women will not be stopped. Indigenous women will not be stopped. Women of color will not be stopped. LGBTQ+ will not be stopped. Women will not be stopped.

This bill ensures our right to reproductive freedom by reaffirming the constitutional right to travel. Those who hold the literal words of the Constitution and so-called States' rights as the absolute standard, you must do one thing: you must recognize the constitutional right to travel guaranteed by the 14th Amendment and vote ``yes'' on this bill.

We know you won't because for you this isn't about the Constitution or States' rights, it is about control. It is about controlling women's bodies and forcing people to give birth against their will.

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