Conscience Protection Act of 2016

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding to me, and I rise in strong opposition to this bill.

Republicans have a hard time winning, especially on abortion. Already there are no Federal funds for abortion except rape, incest, or life of the mother. Already religious objections must be accommodated. But this bill allows the employer to veto his employee's reproductive health choices. How un-American.

Let's thank the Supreme Court of the United States that, in an unusual move, has just sent a case back to the Justice Department for an appropriate compromise after nuns did not want to fill out a form absolving them of making a decision on abortion for their employees. The Court said, you can find an answer without depriving these employees of their healthcare choices.

Some Republicans won't be satisfied until abortion is unavailable nationwide, as Congress has done, to its shame, for poor women in the District of Columbia, whose local tax funds cannot be used for abortion services. This choice belongs to women and to women alone.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source