Dobbs Decision Anniversary

Floor Speech

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Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ripping away a constitutional right that generations of women had relied on for nearly one-half century.

In that moment, the Court did not just revoke a legal precedent, they set in motion a wave of chaos, cruelty, and control. What followed was a full-scale assault on reproductive healthcare: abortion, contraception, IVF, and even access to emergency care.

In Ohio, we felt the effects immediately. Just hours after the Dobbs decision was handed down, an extreme and deeply unpopular 6-week abortion ban went into effect, essentially outlawing abortion before many people even knew they are pregnant.

That law put the lives of millions of women in danger overnight. It forced healthcare providers to choose between following their sworn oath to care for patients or facing criminal charges. It caused trauma and suffering that cannot be undone.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, a 10-year-old rape victim was denied the care she needed and was forced to flee the State to get the care that saved her life and her future.

Yet, despite all of this, the people of Ohio did what we have always done in the face of injustice. We fought back.

In November 2023, Ohioans from across the political spectrum came together and voted to enshrine reproductive freedom directly into our State's constitution: the ability to bear a child, to use contraception, and to access abortion care. It was a powerful, hopeful moment, but, Mr. Speaker, our work is far from over.

That is because within days of that historic vote, Republican lawmakers in Ohio announced they would do everything in their power to prevent our laws from being removed.

That is right. Just days after the people spoke loudly and clearly, some legislators pledged to ignore the will of the voters, and now they are following through. Just last week, members of the Ohio House of Representatives introduced one of the most extreme anti-choice bills in the country.

This dangerous bill would ban nearly all abortions in Ohio, criminalize doctors, and potentially treat patients seeking care as criminals. Let me be crystal clear. Under this proposal, abortion could be prosecuted as homicide. There would be no meaningful exceptions, not for rape and not for incest.

One of the bill's lead supporters, an anti-woman activist, was asked whether he worried this would overturn the will of the voters, the constitutional amendment the people of Ohio passed a couple of years ago. He said that he wasn't concerned. He said: ``The will of the voters was evil.''

The will of the voters was evil.

Mr. Speaker, I don't think I have heard anything less American. The will of the voters is the bedrock of our democracy, and just as these extremists want to take away the decisionmaking capabilities of women, they have not stopped there. They want to take away the decisionmaking capability of all Ohioans.

That is the ideology we are up against. It is one where the voice of the people isn't just disregarded, but it is condemned. It is one where bodily autonomy is labeled evil. It is one where political extremists will stop at nothing, not even the State constitution, to impose their beliefs on the rest of us. It is chilling and it is dangerous.

This uncertainty is not just an Ohio problem. The United States Supreme Court's recent decision in Moyle v. United States dismissed an opportunity to affirm that emergency abortion care is protected under Federal law. Instead, they punted, refusing to give clarity and refusing to give peace of mind to women and doctors across the country.

That is why I introduced a resolution to reaffirm access to emergency care and abortion care to all Americans. That is why House Democrats have introduced bills to guarantee abortion rights across the country and protect access to birth control, IVF, and other fertility care.

That is because at the heart of this fight there is something bigger than politics. It is about freedom, the freedom to control our own bodies. It is about the freedom to decide when, if, and how we grow our families and the freedom to choose our own futures on our own terms.

We are the best people to make those decisions for ourselves. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of brilliant minds here in this legislative Chamber and in State houses and in courts all across the country, but women do not need them to be in our most intimate decisionmaking moments. As a Representative of Ohio's 13th Congressional District, I will keep standing up for our freedom, and I will keep working to ensure our laws reflect our values.

We must trust women. We must protect our rights, and we must never forget that democracy only works if we honor the will of the people.

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