Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank the Chair, and I want to thank the Senator from California and the many Senators who have stood proudly to fight for a woman's right to make her own health care decisions. Certainly in this year of 2012, after decades of fighting to make sure women have the rights and opportunities to be whoever they want and to make their own health care choices, this vote today is an affirmation of that, if we can beat back this Blunt amendment.

We are at a very serious time in our Nation's history. Our economy is struggling, and though we are getting back on track, millions of families get up every day and are concerned about whether they can afford their mortgage or send their kids to college. I have to say, I am sure millions of women in this country did not think they would have to get up this morning and worry about whether contraception would be available to them depending on who their employer was.

This is a serious issue. We have heard a lot of rhetoric about what the Blunt amendment is. My colleague from California just described it for us. It is terrible policy. It will allow any employer in America to cut off any preventive care for any religious or moral reason. It would simply give every boss in America the right to make health care decisions for their workers and their families. It is a radical assault on the comprehensive preventive health care coverage we have fought so hard to make sure women and men and families across this country have. If this amendment were to pass, employers could cut off coverage for children's immunizations, if they object to that. They could cut off prenatal care for children born to unmarried parents if they object to that.

The American people are watching today. Young women are watching today. Is the Senate a place where their voice will be heard and their rights will be stood up for?

We have watched this assault on women's health care for more than a year now. A year ago, almost to this very day, we were working to make sure we kept the government open by putting together our budget agreement. In the middle of the night, all the numbers were decided, all the issues were decided, and we were ready to move forward within hours to make sure our government did not shut down. What was the last issue between us and the doors of this government closing? The funding for Planned Parenthood.

I was the only woman in the room, and I stood with those men and I said, no, we will not give away the funding for this over this budget. The women of the Senate the next morning stood tall. We gathered all our colleagues together and we fought back and we won that battle. And those who are trying to take away the rights of women to make their own health care choices and to have access to contraception in this country today have been at it every day since.

We are not going to allow a panel of men in the House to make the decisions for women about their health care choices. We are not going to allow the Blunt amendment before us today to take away that right. We believe this is an important day. In fact, this happens to be March 1, the beginning of Women's History Month in this country. Let us stand tall today in this moment of history and say the United States Senate will not allow women's health care choices to be taken away from them.

I urge my colleagues to vote with us to table the Blunt amendment and to tell women in this country everywhere that we stand with them in the privacy of their own homes to make their own health care choices.

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