Defending Women's Reproductive Rights

Floor Speech

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Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, the United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to uphold the Mississippi Gestational Age Act and overrule the Court's prior decision in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion upheld for nearly half a century no longer exists, ripped away women's right to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions.

Nationwide, radical Republicans were prepared to immediately charge ahead with measures to take away the freedom of choice. In Congress, Republicans are plotting a nationwide ban to criminalize abortion, and State legislatures are advancing the extremist agenda to criminalize reproductive health decisions, including new laws to arrest doctors and punish women and those who provide aid. Far-right politicians are actively working to dismantle the legal protections afforded to women and invading their bodily autonomy rights.

For centuries, women have fought tenaciously for their fundamental human rights and we will not stop. On July 18, 1848, 174 years and 2 days ago, the first women's rights convention in the United States was held in Seneca Falls, New York. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 was the first platform for women to discuss their civil, social, and religious rights and challenge their inferior status. Feminist leaders and women across the country courageously voiced their collective struggles and petitioned for change.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an ardent activist and leader, presented the ``Declaration of Sentiments,'' demanding the same rights and freedoms that the Declaration of Independence granted to men at that time. The Seneca Falls Convention was a cornerstone of the women's suffragette movement and paved the path for women's rights movements.

Today, women's freedoms are under attack, and the consequences will reverberate as radical Republicans continue to push their political agenda and curtail basic rights. My Democratic colleagues and I remain unwavering in our commitment to defend the legal rights of women and families to make independent decisions about their futures by safeguarding access to reproductive healthcare services.

This week, House Democrats will vote to pass H.R. 8373, the Right to Contraception Act, guaranteeing the right to obtain and use contraception as established in Griswold v. Connecticut.

The alarming, extremist act of judicial activism in Dobbs v. Jackson has created a dangerous blueprint for future attacks on our most cherished rights. As an attorney who is a strict constructionist myself, this cannot stand. In his concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that in future cases the Court should consider substantive due process precedents which legalized the right for married couples to buy and use contraception without government restrictions, same-sex relationships, and marriage equality. Calling into question the constitutional right to use contraception is dangerous for American women and families, as well as men, but also has the potential to disproportionately impact women of historically marginalized communities who face health disparities at higher rates.

Access to contraception can affect all aspects of a woman's life, including educational attainment, employment opportunities, healthcare, and economic success. The Right to Contraception Act recognizes the social, political, and economic impacts on our country and takes steps to protect Americans' right to make their own decisions about their health and their families.

The Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs further emphasizes the need to act now, to protect access to contraception, and women's right to make reproductive health decisions. Contraception is essential to the health and rights of individuals. Women deserve the right to make informed decisions about their health, family planning, and future. It is 2022. We should not still be fighting for rights that are essential to basic health and bodily autonomy. Pass this legislation.

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