Baldwin Joins Colleagues in Standing Up to GOP Assault on Women's Health and Rights

Press Release

Today, as Republicans launched their second hearing to advance an all-out assault on women's health and rights, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Pro-Choice Caucus to condemn the GOP's extreme measures. At a press conference today on Capitol Hill, House Members detailed how the recent GOP bills are simply too extreme, and are wasting valuable time when Congress should be focused on creating jobs for our nation.

"These measures are a mean-spirited intrusion into the private lives and important life decisions of American families," said Congresswoman Baldwin. "I join my colleagues in standing up to proponents of this divisive legislation and saying, 'enough is enough.' It's time for them to respect our choices and focus on restoring our economy," Baldwin said.

Together, H.R. 3, the so-called "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," and H.R. 358, the "Protect Life Act" would prevent millions of women from using their own money for medically necessary procedures. They would also limit the ability of women to get the care they need, even if their lives were in danger. If passed, together these two extreme bills would go far beyond current law and deny women access to reproductive health care..

Joining Members of Congress at today's press conference were choice advocacy groups including the National Abortion Federation, Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Catholics for Choice, and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights, among others. Also featured was a woman whose wanted pregnancy needed to be terminated for medically necessary reasons. She detailed how insurance coverage failings made her and her husband's heart-breaking situation much more difficult.

A full text of Congresswoman Baldwin's remarks at the press conference follows:

Remarks of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Press Conference on Women's Rights
February 9, 2011

"There is one question that every woman in America should be asking right now of the new House leadership and that is, "Why, instead of focusing on job creation and bolstering the economy, are you so intent on taking away my rights and my choices?'

The Republican majority is playing a dangerous game of "bait and switch,' with the American people. Despite all their talk about jobs and deficit spending, they're pushing for extreme new laws that would give government and insurance companies power over women's bodies and our most personal life decisions and health care decisions.

House Republicans on two committees have decided that their biggest priority this week is to pass legislation that would cut off millions of women from the private health care they have today and limit the ability of a woman to get the care she needs...even if the result could be a serious permanent health condition or could shorten her life.

They would allow public hospitals to refuse to take the steps necessary to save a woman's life and allow states to deny Medicaid coverage for care to prevent life-long disabilities.

Is this what Americans voted for? Is this what we want our leadership to prioritize when unemployment in the United States is at 9.4 percent and nearly six million women are today out of work?

I join my colleagues here in standing up to proponents of this divisive legislation and saying, "Enough is enough.' It's time for you to respect our choices and focus on restoring our economy."

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