Transcripts For CSPAN3 Hearing On Reproductive Health Care 20240713

The committee will now come to order. Good morning to everyone. The purpose of this hearing is to examine how state policies like those in missouri are impacting residentsaccess to comprehensive Reproductive Health care services, including abortion. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the committee at any time. For audience purposes, we welcome you and respect your interest in being here. In turn, we request and we ask you to respect the proceedings as we go forward in todays hearings. With that, i will now recognize myself to give an Opening Statement. I would like to begin by acknowledging that this is the First Full Committee Hearing we have held since our friend, our colleague and our beloved chairman Elijah Cummings passed away. Chairman cummings spent his entire life fighting for justice and equality for everyone. And he was a fierce champion for womens access to health care. Across the country extreme forces in some State Governments are taking draconian steps to violate womens rights by restricting access to Reproductive Health services, including abortion. Thee state actions include prerequisite undue burdens, restrictions and outrageously invasive procedures for patients seeking abortions. Let me be clear about what these restrictions are. They are a denial of basic Health Care Services that women have a right to receive no matter where they live. I want to thank my very good friend congressman clay for his leadership in requesting todays hearing. Missouri has taken some of the most extreme actions to limit access to Reproductive Health care. Missouri is one of six states with only one remaining Abortion Provider. And as we will hear today, it is at risk of having no providers at all. Missouris one remaining clinic is planned parenthood, and we thank that clinics director dr. Mcnicholas for testifying here today and for her brave service to the women in her Community Every single day. Earlier this year dr. Randall williams, the director of the Missouri State Health Department, ordered planned parenthood to perform medically unnecessary pelvic examinations on every single woman seeking an abortion. This was an invasive statesponsored abuse of women seeking care. After significant public backlash the state suspended this cruel practice. But dr. Williams also recently was forced to admit that he directed state employees to collect information about patientsmenstrual cycles to advance his ideological crusade. That is what they were spending taxpayersdollars on. I can not begin to describe my disgust at these violations of privacy and breaches of trust by government officials. Sadly, missouris actions are not taking place in isolation. Other states have pushed for similar restrictions. I believe these states have been emboldened by the Trump Administrations systemic attacks on Reproductive Health care and general disrespect for women. In 2012 our former chairman daryl issa held a hearing in this room, in this committee, with an allmale panel of religious leaders who were trying to take away contraceptive coverage for women. They did not invite one single woman to testify on that panel. Then they refused our request to have sandra fluke, who was a Georgetown Law School student at the time, testify about the importance of Health Insurance coverage of contraceptives. They said she was, and i quote, not qualified, end quote. It was at that hearing that i asked in protest where are the women . It is time to let women speak and it is time for everyone to listen. It is time for elected representatives here in congress and in statehouses across the country to protect the right to privacy and a womans right to Abortion Services rather than attack it, undermine it and try to eliminate it. I want to thank jennifer box for sharing her familys story with us. No one should ever have to make the heartbreaking decision that you and your husband had to make. But it is your decision and it does not belong to anyone else. I also want to thank Marcella Howell from in our own voice, which is part of the National Black womens reproductive justice agenda, and fatemah gossgraves from the Womens National law center for all her work and for being here today and for helping the committee and me on this subject. I now recognize the Ranking Member jordan for his Opening Statement, and i yield back. Thank you, madam chair. I want to thank our witnesses for being here today. In the declaration of independent signed 243 years ago our Founding Fathers enshrines the principle that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable for everyone. Can you really pursue happiness . Can you chase down your goals and dreams if you first dont have freedom . If you first dont have liberty . And do you ever enjoy true liberty, true freedom if government wont protect your most fundamental right, your right to live, your right to life . Life is precious. Its a sacred gift from god. During an earlier time here in congress, whatever disagreements that we had, colleagues who didnt share those beliefs there was a common understanding about this fundamental principle. That life, in fact, is precious. Over the past few years it seems our two sides have moved away from this basic understanding. Today my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will charge me and republicans as being against women. Democrats will say if youre not for them in this position, their position on this issue, then youre against all women. We want all people, including women and babies, to have access to worldclass health care. Statements to the contrary are simply false. And are meant to divide our country. Today this congress is in the midst of an unprecedented impeachment inquiry against President Trump. I am proud that President Trump is one of the most prolife president s to ever lead our nation. President trump has taken bold steps to stop federal funding of abortions and enabled better Legal Protections for Health Care Workers who are opposed to providing, assisting or participating in thee procedures. The hearing today is an attack on that prolife record. Todays culture, standing for life, its not easy. Im always guided by one of my favorite scripture verses. Fight the good fight. Finish the course. Keep the faith. Thats what we have to do. Keep the faith in those basic principles outlined in that document that started our nation over 200 years ago. We came to this congress to fight for the right of all americans to have life, liberty and pursue happiness. I yield back. I will i will now yield one minute to the member from the great state of missouri, lacy clay, who requested this hearing. Thank you, madam chairwoman. I along with my constituents appreciate your calling this hearing today on an urgent issue that threatens the health and personal freedom of millions of american women. The assault against a womans right to make their own Health Care Decisions is an insult to the basic values of individual freedom and limited government. Nowhere in the nation is that assault more urgent than in my home state of missouri, specifically in the city of st. Louis which i am so proud to represent. Planned parenthood of st. Louis is the last remaining Womens Health care clinic in the entire state of missouri. That also provides Abortion Services. I visited the clinic staff and physicians this past june as the battle was elevating, and i wanted to lend my support and voice to their efforts. As a husband, father, and brother, i support and trust the private personal Health Choices of women. I am truly amazed that the Missouri Department of health would along with efforts to shut down the clinic intimidate patients and threaten providers and would allegedly and bizarrely track womens menstrual periods on spreadsheets to determine if they had had an abortion. No woman should be subjected to this violation of their personhood. This is america. Its her body. Its her health care and its her decision. I stand with planned parenthood because they are truly on the front lines of defending Womens Health care across america. Madam chairwoman, i would also like to introduce into the record a personal statement by ms. Meevie, the director of policy and planned parenthood advocates in missouri. Without objection. So ordered. Thank you. I yield back. And i will now yield time to the member from the great state of north carolina, dr. Fox. Thank you, chairwoman maloney. I welcome you to your first hearing as acting chairwoman and look forward to continuing working together in your new role. Weve had a productive working relationship over the years, and i commit to continuing in that spirit. I want to say that my sympathy goes out to any woman who feels she must seek an abortion. It must be a horrible situation to be in. But i will admit that i am perplexed by the scope of the hearing. After all, my colleagues on the other side are quick to assert that roe v. Wade is, quote, the law of the land. However, planned parenthood v. Casey clearly allows states to implement abortion restrictions, even ones that apply during the first trimester of pregnancy. States are grappling with issues of how to depend and preserve life and support high standards for Womens Health care. As states continue to explore ways to do so in recent years, we are now at a reflection point. After the governor of virginias horrific comments earlier this year, theres been a National Outcry over the apathy shown by the proabortion Movement Towards babies that have been born after an abortion. This is an issue thats very close to my heart and the hearts of millions of americans. Im going to quote the governor. If i mothers in labour, i can tell you exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if thats what the mother and the family designed. Then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother, end quote. During testimony on floridas born alive bill expressed support for serving an abortion survivor on the table to die. If that is what the patient and abortionist decided. In new york, the Reproductive Health act signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo removes protections for children born alive during abortion attempts. Leaving them at the mercy of the abortionist who just minutes earlier was trying to kill them. Illinois has also enacted a law that repealed the illinois partial birth abortion act and removes licenses requirements for abortion facilities. Still other states, notably massachusetts and virginia having proposed legislation equally as alarming. Only 2 3 of the states have any laws to protect infants who survive abortion and that positively enshrine their right to life into law. Thats simply unacceptable. Madam chairwoman, respectfully, in light of these events, i hardly find that anyone is losing access to anything. Anyone say the defenseless, the unborn. The unborn and now even born alive, they are the ones having their rights deprived and the American People find this intolerable. I find it to be an abomination. The pendulum in the state is not one thats swinging against women. Not in the slightest. Some of my colleagues used to espouse the idea that abortion should be safe, legal and rare. They espouse it no longer. Instead, ondemand access to abortion up to and even tragically after birth is the new mantra. The fact that extremists are working to keep this everexpanding restriction on the right to life buttressed against the lives of babies born outside the womb, this should be a wakeup call to us all. I call on Speaker Pelosi to end her blockade against the bipartisan born alive survivors protection act. This bill would protect babies born alive in the remaining 1 3 of state jurisdictions that fail to do so. Life is sacred. And the regard with which we hold it is what defines who we are as a society. We live in a society that mistakes choice for liberty and denies the dignity of unborn life. But the beauty of living in a free country is that we can use our liberty for love. We must put love into action every day. Affirming the value of life at all stages. No matter the difficulties it presents. Striving to love daily is not easy yet it is the greatest exercise of our freedom. And theres no life unworthy of that love. I yield back, madam chairman. Thank you. I will now briefly yield to congressman clay to introduce his constituent, dr. Mcnicholas. Thank you, madam chair, and im happy to introduce to the committee one of my distinguished constituents, a highly skilled physician who has dedicated her life to providing Exceptional Health care for all women. The chief medical officer of planned parenthood of the st. Louis region and southwest missouri, dr. Colleen mcnicholas. Dr. Mcnicholas has also served a distinguished assistant professor of gynecology at Washington University of medicine in st. Louis, and dr. Mcnicholas is also a champion for Closing Health care disparities like high maternal and infant mortality rates that affect minority and lowincome patients most because of a lack of access to basic medical care. Dr. Mcnicholas performs her duties with skill and compassion. She is a compassionate healer who fiercely defending her patientsrights and their privacy as well. Dr. Mcnicholas is a warrior for access to Quality Health care for women, not just in st. Louis but across missouri and across the nation as well. Welcome, doctor. I yield back. Thank you, congressman. We are also joined by jennifer box from st. Louis, missouri, and she was holding that beautiful baby girl. And also were joined with fatima gossgraved president and executive officer of the National Womens law center. And ali stuckley from texas and Marcella Howell, founder and president , chief executive officer in our own voice National Black womens reproductive justice agenda. If you would all please rise and raise your right hand, i will begin to swear you in. And raise your right hand. Do you swear to affirm that the testimony youre about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god . Let the record show that the witnesses answered in the affirmative. Thank you and please be seated. The microphones are sensitive, so please speak directly into them. Without objection, your written statement will be made part of the record, and with that, ms. Box, you are now recognized for your Opening Statement. Good afternoon acting chairwoman maloney, Ranking Member jordan and members of this committee. My name is jennifer box. Im a mother of three living children, and as you saw, i am here today with my 3monthold aft astrid and my husband jake. Im a small businessowner, a wife and a missourian. Im here to tell you the story of our daughter libby. Ill also here to share with you as someone who was in need of an abortion how difficult my home state of missouri makes it for pregnant people to access abortion. Libbys story is heartbreakingly linked with the Political Landscape in missouri. Something i never imagined i would have to navigate when learning the most devastating news of our life. It was almost in the same breath that i learned my pregnancy had a fatal fetal diagnosis that i learned my home state of missouri would insert itself in the middle of my grief. I searched for answers everywhere and yet we found now solace in them. Our daughter if not stillborn will be born into a life of invasive medical intervention. She essentially would have been born on to life support. With broken hearts we knew that the greatest act of love that we could undertake as her parents would be to suffer ourselves instead. To end the pregnancy, grant libby peace and spare her tiny, broken body a short life full of pain. We had made our decision and were still grappling with the reality of it. But there was little time to spare. Missourians like me who seek abortion are confronted with a litany of onerous restrictions, including mandatory waiting periods, private and public insurance bans, and form consent laws and more. This means that i moved at the direction of the government. For example, my doctors Catholic Hospital where i delivered my two older children refused me care. We had to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket because of the states insurance bans against abortion coverage. And perhaps most surprising, our procedure was rushed due to the states consent and mandatory delay laws. Despite how difficult it was to access the medical care i needed, my actual abortion procedure was the most Compassionate Care i have ever received from a physician. Jake and i left that day knowing that we had made the most loving and merciful choice for our daughter. I thought after the procedure was over my family could begin to heal privately. I never imagined watching the state of the union and hearing the president refer to women like me, women who have had abortions later in pregnancy, as murderers. I never fathomed my governor would weaponize the Health Department in an attempt to end safe legal abortion in missouri. I did not anticipate that my state legislature would enact an eightweek abortion ban, a ban that would have made it impossible for me to make the best decision for our family. And let me be clear, my story does not give anyone the right to make judgements about good reasons and bad reasons for abortion. A fetal diagnosis was my reason, but nobody should have to explain themselves or compare their stories to justify a deeply personal decision. I tell my story knowing i am a woman of privilege with means and resources to access the care i needed despite a complicated landscape of laws. Every day women and people of color who face racist and discriminatory policies carry the heaviest burdens when navigating Abortion Access. Politicians like Governor Parson are hellbent on finishing off what remains of the Reproductive Health care in my state. Members of congress, i urge you to remember who you represent. I am the one in four women who will have an abortion in her lifetime. You have the power to change a broken system working against us, and i ask that you work in our best interests. Im not asking you to condone my choice, im simply begging lawmakers like you who have the power to create change to allow families to make that choice for themselves. I speak for libby. It is an honor to share her name with this committee and the country today. Libby rose box. I have a rosetta too above my heart so that she is with me every day. I am her mother. And she is my daughter and will always be my daughter. I made decisions from day one as her mother, and i made the most important decision of libbys life when together with my husband we decided to terminate the pregnancy. It was a sacred, painful, personal decision. That is our story. Unique to our family. And one that never should have included any politicians. Thank you for your time. Thank you for sharing your story. Ill now call up an dr. Colleen mcnib lass. Mcnicholas. Thank you, acting chairwoman maloney, Ranking Member jordan and members of the committee. Special thanks to representative clay for that very kind introduction. My name is dr. Colleen mcnicholas and im a practicing obgyn in the state of missouri. And as you heard, im the chief medical officer of planned parenthood in the st. Louis region of southwest missouri. For more than a decade i have been honored with the trust of parrishs seeking a Broad Spectrum of Reproductive Health care services, including abortion. As you may know there is only one Health Center left in missouri that provides abortion to meet the needs of more than 1. 1 million women of reproductive age in my state. Planned parenthoods Reproductive Health services in st. Louis. Im here today because if Governor Parson and Health Director williams get their way, missouri could soon become the first state since roe versus wade without a Single Center that provides abortion care. I want to tell you how we got here and the danger when state officials abuse their power and disregard patientslives to pursue a political agenda. Despite the reality that abortion is safe, missouri politicians have layered restriction upon restriction, ranging from long waiting periods to Insurance Coverage bans in a deliberate attempt to end Abortion Access. Over the last 30 years missouri has gone from nearly 30 clinics to just one clinic today. Earlier this year Governor Parson signed one of the most restriction abortion bans in the country, banning abortion as early as eight weeks and altogether if roe were overruled. Fortunately, that ban for now is blocked in the courts. Unable to get the job done through legislation, though, Parsons Administration weaponized the licensure process to deny our Abortion Facility license. Health officials admitted under oath that they singled out planned parenthood for extra inspections, additional scrutiny, including at the behest of antiabortion protesters and legislators. They came to our clinic five times in the first five months of this year. All while they conceded that hospitals and Surgery Centers providing much riskier procedures went years without a single inspection. During this years inspection process, the Department Also admitted to keeping a spreadsheet of my patientsmenstrual cycles. A brazen abuse of power and misuse of data motivated by an agenda to find something, anything that they could use to justify further scrutiny. As shocking as that sounds, more egregious was director williamsreinterpretation of a 1988 regulation which forced over 100 patients to undergo multiple invasive pelvic exams. My colleagues and i could not in good conscience force patients to take their colleagues off unnecessarily and ensure an extra statemandated vaginal exam. Due to public outcry, the department relented, but that only confirms that there was no real medical reason for that exam. Missourians want to believe that state officials charged with protecting Public Health have their best interests in mind. They want to trust that when they go to the doctor their private medical information will not be mined by the department of health as part of a political fishing phishing expedition. Governor parson and director williams have repeatedly violated the trust of our community and the safety of my patients all to push a political agenda. Its not just missouri. Antiabortion politicians in other states including louisiana refuse to license abortion facilities simply because they do not agree with the health care that is provided there. This year alone 12 states have enacted 25 different abortion bans, and that is on top of the nearly 500 abortion restrictions enacted in the states since 2011. This obsession with abortion has not only proven detrimental to our patients, but it has lasting effects on the health of an entire community. While missouri goes to incredible lengths to ban abortion, Maternal Mortality is rising and black women are dying in pregnancy at three times the rate of white women. Despite this and many other serious Public Health crises, antiabortion politicians continue to divert precious resources to the overregulation and targeting of Abortion Providers. In missouri im happy to say that despite the unrelenting attacks on Reproductive Health care our doors remain open. For now. Planned parenthood will continue the work of ensuring that every patient who needs and wants an abortion is able to access that care with dignity and respect and consistent with their values inspired of this impossible landscape. In my exam room abortion is not political, its simply health care. And its time we listen to the majority of americans and put an end to this rampant abuse of power and do what is necessary to keep abortion safe, legal and accessible. Thank you. Thank you for your work and for your testimony today. I am now going to recognize fatima gossgraves. Thank you. Acting chairwoman maloney and Ranking Member jordan and members of the committee, thank you for the invitation to testify today, and especially on this first hearing following congressman cummingspassing. He was a champion for justice and on these issues. My name is fatima gossgrave im president and ceo at the Womens National law center. At the Health Center we know access to Reproductive Health care including abortion is vital to gender justice. Its a key part of a persons liberty and equality and Economic Security and everyone, no matter where they live, no matter their financial means, should have access to abortion when they need it. As the Supreme Court said in planned parenthood versus casey, the ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of this nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives. We also know that legislators passing restrictions on abortion want to control the lives and futures of women. And its the no lost on me that were facing the biggest threat to the right to abortion on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, when some women first gained the right to vote. The fight to secure the vote was symbolic of a broader societal change regarding womens ability to backdrop we must observe be politically make politically independent decisions. Theres a Broader Movement in this country that will transform the relationship between gender and power and against this backdrop we must observe missouris regulatory efforts to shut down the states last abortion clinic. Missouri is not the only or even the first state to seek to end abortion in this country, of course, but what is unique in this moment are the types of abortion bills passed. Before this year, direct challenge. Before most people knew they were pregnant or typically seen as too radical, even by my antiabortion advocates and whats unique to this moment is state legislatures willingness to express up front why theyre pushing these extreme measures. Their goal is to propel a case that presents the Supreme Court an opportunity to overturn or to grossly undermine roe v. Wade. Vice president pence and trump and the newly constituted Supreme Court that will be revised. And trump even promised some form of punishment for women who have abortions and automatically overturn roe v. Wade. And in the three years in power, hes reshaped our federal judiciary in shocking terms to fulfill that promise. It is disturbing then that earlier this year this circuit upheld the louisiana law identical to a texas law struck down by the Supreme Court in whole Womens Health versus hallerstrks hallersted in 2016. The Supreme Court agreed to review this rogue decision this term. In june, medical services. This should be an easy decision. Nothing relevant has changed in the last three years except for the composition of the Supreme Court. But the law at issue in june also does nothing to make abortion an already extremely safe procedure safer. Instead, such laws are intended to close clinics and they have done just that. The resulting shortage of Abortion Providers has led to longer waiting times for appointments, increased travel to clinics which result in increased costs, Long Distance travel, hotel stays in different cities, additional child care expenses, more time off work when people dont have it and ultimately, delays in getting the care that they are seeking. These costs compound the other restrictions that are already in place including restrictions on Insurance Coverage of abortion. All intended to make abortion unaffordable and therefore, inaccessible. What these politicians are doing is not representative of the will of the people. The public doesnt want the right to abortion overturned. In fact, in the wake of these extreme abortion bans, the public sentiment was people protested these laws on the middle of the week. As president of an organization that fights for gender justice in our schools, in work, in health care, and improving security for women and their families, i have a birdseye view of how all of these fights are connected. The same misogyny driving these abortion bans driving much of the opposition were seeing in other gender justice battles. Thats why at this moment of reckoning on the constitutional right to abortion, we need congress to lead. We think they can start with passing laws such as the each women act and the Womens Health protection act. Thank you. Thank you so much. Allie stucky. Id like to thank chairwoman maloney and Ranking Member jordan and the rest of the committee for the opportunity to appear before the committee today. My name is allie stucky. Im a podcast owner, wife and a mom. Ive observed the growing radical movement of the abortion gender and speaking out about the injustice occurring on the state and federal levels against preborn children and mothers. I am here today as a mom fighting for a future for her kids in which rights are not dependent on whether a person is wanted but upon their humanity. I am here as a woman who believes that female empowerment, equality and freedom are not defined by her ability to terminate the life of her child. Im here as an american afraid for the fate of a country that no longer considers the right to life a prerequisite to the liberty for the pursuit of happiness. Im horrified by the marginalization of a defenseless people group solely on where they are in the womb. Thats surreal to be here and not because im testifying before congress but because of the subject at hand. It is incomprehensible we are having a debate whether or not it is acceptable to kill a baby before theyre born. And while were discussing democrats concerns about abortion restrictions, i want to remind the committee of the true victims of radical legislation and that is preborn babies. There was a time, perhaps when we could claim ignorance as justification for allowing and approving of abortion a few decades ago. We knew relatively little about preborn babies in the early stages of development. It seemed appropriate to some to deem abortion a privacy issue or an issue of bodily autonomy and even then, the motto was, safe, legal and rare. Pro abortion advocates abandoned these three qualifications in favor of ondemand through all nine months for any reason. Barbaric laws like those of new york, illinois and a bill in virginia aim to codify what roe and congressman yonmpanion cases allow. Positions have radicalized, science and technology have advanced. We know a babys heart begins early as six weeks. The child can feel pain early as 20 weeks. Only halfway through the pregnancy. Babies born early as 21 weeks jes station survived outside of the womb. By 24 week, still only in the second trimester, a probability of surviving and babies at this age received lifesaving procedures to treat diseases like spine bify nah spyina bifida. I was shocked to see my daughter kicking, punching at 11 weeks. A baby is a living human being with a distinct dna and the abortion vehicles have doubled down on their dehumanizing rhetoric and legislative efforts remarkably, many members of the socalled party of science insist bonn referring to preborn children no more than clumps of cells. Speaking of abortion, its defenders ignore the existence of the child entirely. Reproductive freedom and Women Empowerment obscure the reality the life inside the moms body is a baby, her baby. If in article in new York Magazine argued a moral good, this kind of deception wouldnt be necessary but abortion advocates know using accurate terminology to describe isnt effective pr and therefore doesnt make for a profitable business model. Late term abortions are typically performed, of course, by emptying the uterus of amniotic fluid and then forceps. Witnesses before congress testified to the neglect of babies who survive abortions. Many of whom reportedly are left to die alone. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared earlier this year a baby who survives an abortion will be delivered, kept comfortable and recess at a timed resuscitated if thats what the mother and family desired. While tragic pro lifers shouldnt be surprised by pro choice radicalism, this is the end of logic for the pro abortion case. No logical case that doesnt apply people who are born. America on the list of seven countries including china and north korea to allow abortion after 20 weeks gestation. The same legislators pro abortion happy to vote yes on a bill criminalizing animal cruelty on the level. I wish the same basic compassion could be extended to the most vulnerable member of our own species. Thank you. Thank you very much. And Marcella Howell. Acting chairwoman maloney, Ranking Member jordan and honorable members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify at todays hearing. I would like to take a moment first to mourn the passing of chairman cummings, a fearless champion of human and civil rights. We promise to pick up his mantle and continue his fight for universal justice. I am Marcella Howell. Founder and president of in our own voice, reproductive justice agenda. A National State partnership with eight black womens reproductive justice organizations. Black women for wellness, black Womens Health imperative, new voices for reproductive justice, sister love, sister reach, spark, reproductive justice now, the efea center and women with a vision. Reproductive justice is the human right to control our bodies, our gender, our work and our reproduction. That can only be achieved when all people have the economic social and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, our families and our communities in all areas of our lives. This includes the right to choose if, when and how to start a family. When it comes to abortion, we focus specifically on access rather than rights. Asserting that the legal right to abortion is meaningless for pregnant people when they cannot access such care due to the cost, the distance to the nearest provider or other obstacles. Across the country, we are faced with the ever implicated wave of abortion restrictions that continue to compound already existing barriers making access to quality abortion care a privilege for the few rather than human right for all. After the 1973 landmark roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court victory was immediately undermined and invalidated for people with low incomes, with passage of the Hyde Amendment. As social economic inequality linked to systemic racism and discrimination, women of color are disproportionately likely to be insured to medicaid. Subject to the Hyde Amendment. The decision of when and how to have a family or when to start or grow a family is a decision that should be made by a pregnant person and those they trust, not politicians. Over the last decade, Abortion Access in the u. S. Has become increasingly fraught with restrictive laws. Such abortion restrictions including everything from parental consent laws for individuals under 18, often mandated counselling and waiting periods and burdensome regulations on providers and clinics. This web of restrictions and bans has ultimately created an unjust landscape. As the country grapples with a maternity mortality crisis, one that disproportionately impacts black women, researchers found that the states with the higher numbers of abortion restrictions are the exact same states that have poorer Maternal Health outcomes. That is not a coincidence. Reproductive justice is economic justice. One reason People Choose to have abortions is because of the significant expense of having and raising another child, given that many are already parents. We cannot afford to endure another abortion ban is because of the significant expense of having and raising another child, given that many are already apparents. Already parents. We because we are already battling discrimination and health care, wages too low to put food on the table, debilitating child care costs, tax on immigrants and threats to our votes rights. These issues cannot be separated or siloed. Together, they are an attack on our ability to live with full agency over our lives and to raise our children with dignity. I thank the committee for its dedication to addressing these issues through a lens of justice and equity and centering the value lived experiences of marginalized communities including black, latina, native and indigenous women, transgender and gender binary people, lgbtq people, people with low income, people in rural communities, those with disabilities, youth and immigrants. I explicitly name us all because theyre tied together and many of us live at the margins of multiple oppressed identities. I urge the committee to address these abortion restrictions with urgency as we collectively work toward bodily atonutonomy where justice can be actualized. Thank you. Thank you. I want to thank all the panelists for your important testimony. Without object, the following members are authorized to participate in todays hearing. Congresswoman congresswoman. I will now call on laci clay to begin the questioning. He is the originator of this hearing. Madam chairwoman, let me thank you again for convening this hearing to call attention to the intrusive restrictions that are threatening the health and well being of thousands of women in my Congressional District and home state. In missouri, were down to one last abortion clinic. State Health Officials are doing everything in their power to try to shut that clinic doubt, regulate the last clinic out of existence by imposing rules and regulations that are medically unnecessary. Overtly intrusive or virtually impossible for any Health Care Provider to comply with. And as you heard, dr. Mcnicholas explain, the Health Department began enforcing medically unnecessary requirement that women submit to an additional pelvic exam three days before allowing allowing, being allowed to have an abortion. Dr. Mcnicholas, as a physician, is there any medical reason for such a requirement . Thank you for the question, representative clay. So as i previously stated and i think you noted as well, forcing women to undergo medically unnecessary pelvic exams shows clear disregard for the traumatic impact this has. A country that every 73 seconds, an american is victimized with Sexual Assault and 12 times higher for women with intellectual disabilities. Within days of having to comply with the mandate, we saw a patient, a minor accompanied by her mom who was a victim of Sexual Assault who had never had a pelvic exam before. Who didnt even know what her parts were. And as a reminder for those of you who have never had a pelvic exam in this room, that means putting your fingers into someones, forcing somebody, this minor, never having had a pelvic exam, to have that invasive procedure when there was absolutely no medically relevant reason to do so was traumatic for her, for her mother, and for the physician who was required to do it. How did that make you and your staff feel . So i can tell you that in the times that we had to comply with this regulation, i am not sure who cried more, the physicians, the staff, the patients. We had patients apologizing to us that we were forced to do this to them. Our patients are accustomed to jumping to hoop after hoop to get an abortion. So when told they had to do this too, they were resigned to the fact that was just part of the deal. But it was traumatic for everyone. And if that wasnt outrageous enough, just weeks ago, we learned that the states staff were ordered to keep a spread sheet tracking the menstrual cycles of women who visited st. Louisplanned parenthood clinic. Doctor, do you find the practice of tracking the dates of patients periods problematic . I find it bizarre and a complete violation of the trust that the community puts in the public Health Department and the trust that our patients put in us. It was clearly part of an orchestrated attack on planned parenthood and really demonstrates an abuse of power and misuse of data. What do you make of the fact that, a trained physician has imposed these medically unnecessary and intrusive requirements on providers and patients . So its shocking that our department of health is head by a physician, dr. Randall williams and more shocking hes an obgyn. He knows better. But instead of relying on the medical ethics that he was taught and the many Patient Experiences hes had over the course of his career, he instead decided his job was to act at the behest of a politician as part of a political agenda and forgetting what its like to treat patients. What would it mean for patients in missouri if your clinic closes . The consequence of that, there are so many consequences to that. Certainly, people will be forced to carry pregnancies they cant and shouldnt and dont want to. Continuing the cycle of poverty for some. Many will be forced to travel Long Distances, expending resources they dont already have to access that care. And people will have really lost the trust that they have in the state of missouri who then had abdicated its responsibility to providing very basic health care. I thank you for your response and i thank the entire panel for being here today. And madam chair, i yield back. Ill recognize clay roy, representative roy. Ill take the name clay. Thank you, madam chairwoman. In 2015, i got a call from a young woman who is one of my dear friends like a little sister to me. She said that the baby that was in her belly, the third, might be missing part of his brain. The part that connects the left and right hemispheres. She was terrified and couldnt ask questions fast enough. She had a monthly checkup with her ob gyn the following week. Her husband had to work but took two boys with her. The checkups routinely and quick. She went into the appointment expecting her doctor to reassure her and the answer reviewed the file. Looked straight in the eye and asked if she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. She called us after that appointment, understandably angry and terrified. Terminate, what . The same tone she might have used when ordering coffee at starbucks. Didnt blink an eye. Asked in front of her two little boys, without her husband there. She offered no explanation or effort. It was cold. The doctor told her she had to decide quickly because she was approaching 22 weeks which is long as you can legally wait to have an abortion in virginia. Our friends response was such a source of pride for us. She told us she almost laughed and then politely responded that termination was not an option. Walked out of the Doctors Office and never returned. How did it turn out . Her ultrasound completely normal at 24 weeks. They just couldnt get a good read at 22 week appointment. Born in may of 2015, completely healthy. A boy, by the way. Cant imagine life without him. He is my godson. In the winter of 1996, a couple went in for a checkup. They were excited, recently been informed they had twins. The doctor came in and performed more tests. Time passed by and the doctor returned. Doctor seemed concerned. They believed the twins had cystic fibrosis, if born, only survive for a few hours, they were told, if that. I recommend termination, said the doctor. The couple said the first thing that came into their mind. No. And walked out. They chose life. Those twins grow up to become excellent men. I know this because jonah works for me. Right here. Hes one of my staffers. Miss stuckey, planned parenthood isnt about health care, its about abortion, no . Yes. Took in 1. 7 billion of total revenues, 14 increase over the year before. Private donations 630 million, sound right to you . Yes. Government funded amounted to 563 million of that amount. Does that sound right to you . Yes. Planned parenthood received 60 million under title 10 under the protect life rule in compliance with statutory prohibition. Where abortions and method of Family Planning. August, withdraw from title 10 rather than comply with the new rule. Does that sound right to you. Yes. Do we need planned parenthood for health care for women . Planned parenthood is not in the business of health care. Theyre in the business of abortion as demonstrated by refusing title 10 care. They could have financially and physically separated their Abortion Services from the rest of their Health Care Services but they refused to do that. They have decided that abortion is central to their mission, which is exactly why they fired ceo leanna wynn, in her words, ousted because she didnt prioritize abortion high enough. Thats right and if i may direct you to the chart behind me. 301 rural health clinics. Total 735 federally funded Community Health clinics. 327 pregnancy sistercenters. According to planned parenthood web site. Does that sound right to you. Yes. Provides Health Care Solutions for women throughout the state of texas . Yes, they do. Im from texas as well. Yes, maam. Texas program established in 2016 helping women in texas with more providers than planned parenthood, does that sound right to you . Yes. In fy 2018, 172,000 clients according to the planned parenthood web site of greater texas. Compared to that larger number and only in existence since 2016, does that sound right to you . Yes. My point is simply this. The state of texas, i can speak to. I cant speak to the others. We should create entities and allow the market to thrive and if we can get some of the regulations in the way of Healthy Health care system, more options but could you please, my time is running out, please share your view of the ways in which we can provide health care in better ways than allowing an organization like planned parenthood which takes unborn babies, put them in plastic bags and throws them in garbage bins to be the center of Health Care Provision for women . Thank you. Abortion is not health care. I think thats all i have time for. Chair now recognizes congresswoman norton. I thank you very, much, madam chair. Dr. Mcnicolas, to follow up, what kind of Health Services do you provide . I appreciate that question. So planned parenthood provides a Broad Spectrum of Reproductive Health services. Well people care, cancer screenings, full spectrum of birth, control options, transgender care, primary care, prenatal care and the list goes, on. Looks like you provide the kind of across the board care a young woman may need. This one stop fits all. The goal is to meet our patients needs in the Clinical Services they need and require and that the Community Needs and also to make sure its accessible for them. Abortion is only one of those services. Thats correct. I have a question. Perhaps i should start with miss graves or dr. Mcnicholas. I represent 700,000 residents who pay the highest federal taxes. This is a little known fact. Highest federal taxes per capita in the United States. Were trying to make the district of columbia the 51st state but when you look at where there are intrusions into health care, you will find theyre all federal bans that include federal employees, federal prisoners and what i included in this list are low income residents of the district of columbia, our jurisdiction wants to provide on their own, pay for Abortion Services for low income women the way almost 20 states already do. Were not demanding that the federal government does this. My question is why we are finding that restrictions are in coverage are related to economic mobility for women on coverage for abortion and other such services and apparently, theres a correlation here not only for women generally but especially for women of color . So why do restrictions on abortion relate to economic mobility . Why are they correlated in that way . I very much appreciate you raising that issue also as a resident of the district that lacks the range of rates that you described and oftentimes, theres been a deep focus on the levels of restrictions that are in places like missouri but even in the district because of restrictions on insurance, for low income women in particular, what that means is that abortion is inaccessible and unavailable and having to scrap together the money to be able to afford it is not possible and what it also means is that for the most vulnerable of folks, the right to abortion does not feel very meaningful. And that connection between the ability to have Economic Security for yourself and for your family is deeply tied to your ability to access the health care you need. So this is a travesty and that is deeply felt by people who live in the district in part because you not only have the restrictions on things like medicaid but see them show up in federal Health Insurance and so many people who live here are also working for the federal government. You can see that there are many reasons the district of columbia wants to become the 51st state. I want to say to my republican colleagues, whose mantra is, we want government out of our business, my friends on the other side of the aisle vote against government doing things which the American People want government to do. All the district of columbia is asking is that you get out of their business so that we can deal with our business alone. Thank you very much and i yield back. The chair recognizes my friend just yields her 20 seconds. Miss norton . Would you yield . Ill be glad to yield. I thank my friend. I want to give dr. Mcnicholas. We heard a stunning statement that planned parenthood is not in the health care business. I want you to get the opportunity to respond to that. I appreciate the question. Abortion is health care and the best way to demonstrate is to share a story about a patient when unable to access her abortion died because her comorbidity and the complication she had prior to pregnancy worsened during that. A patient from out of state visited my clinic for a consultation after understanding that her current medical condition would worsen with pregnancy. She returned to her out of state home, having to wait the mandated amount of time between those visits before she can receive that care. When she didnt return and we called to follow up. We were later told she passed away from complications of her prepregnancy medical condition. This is the very definition of why abortion is health care and is needed and necessary when people need it where they live. Thank you very much, dr. Fox. Thank you very much, chairwoman. Dr. Mcnicholas, earlier this year, Governor Northam of virginia said if a mothers in labor, i can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated. If thats what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion ensues between the physician and the mother. Do you support Governor Northams comments . So i cant speak for Governor Northam but what i can say is theres no way to oversimplify the sort of medical conditions in which people present in the second trimester that i think he was referring to. So as a physician, then if, what would be the harm in legislation such as the born alive abortion survivors act to make sure that a child born alive would not be put to death . So there are several harms. The first is which using that language in perpetuating the notion that is a real thing is harmful in and of itself. It only serves two purposes. The first is to shame people like jenny who need life saving care in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. It also creates an environment in which Abortion Providers like myself and my colleagues are targeted and harassed. So first and foremost, it is dangerous for those reasons. And the second reason is because medicine is complicated. There really is no way for me to boil down more than a decade of education and practice to give you a single reason why doing such things is harmful to patients. The answer should have been either yes or no. Earlier this year, thousands of fetal remains were found in the home of deceased abortion. Who do you believe all fetal remains should be disposed of in a manner, that treats them with dignity and respect . Just like i believe patients are capable of making a decision to continue their pregnancy or not to expand their family or not, i believe patients are capable of deciding what should happen to the remains of their pregnancy. So is it okay for the fetal remains to be sold for profit by planned parenthood . Planned parenthood has never sold fetal tissue and currently doesnt and never has. Does planned parenthood give states the authority to regulate abortion in accordance with the opinions of their respective constituencies . I believe that the most recent decision and we have some policy experts on the panel who can speak more to this but the more preentrecent decision said they must be based and grounded in science and haasthats all were asking for. Treated to the current medical science. Miss stuckey, thank you very much for being here. Are there more federally qualified Health Centers than abortion clinics in the United States . Thank you for the question. Yes. The ratio is about 26 to 1 that are federally funded to planned parenthoods. Which offers more . The Health Care Centers that are not planned parenthood. Would we be better off supporting abortion clinics or federally qualified health care sisters . Federally qualified Health Care Centers. Thank you. In 2005, planned parenthood funded study found a majority of women seeking an abortion did so because having a baby would interfere with education and work, cost too much or they did not want to be a single mother or have relationship problems. What are your thoughts on the findings of this study . It shows that it belies this notion that abortion is only used in very extreme cases. The extreme rare cases typically to cast pro lifers into a negative extremist radical misogynist light which is just not accurate. The majority of abortions according to planned parenthoods own research are done on the basis of convenience and i just dont see a logical or moral justification for killing an unborn child on the basis of them simply not being wanted. Thank you. Madam chair, earlier, dr. Mcnicholas said dr. Williams was a physician and had taken an ethics oath and should know better than to do what he had done. I just want to quote from the classic hippocratic oath. Ill use the regimes according to the greatest ability and judgment and do no harm or injustice to them. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if i am asked. Nor will i advise such a plan and similarly, not give a woman to cause an abortion. Dr. Mcnicholas, did you wear the hippocratic oath . Yes, and i continue to live that every single day. Amazing. Madam chair, mr. Roy asked me if i would enter into the record this article. Thank you, i yield back. Now the chair recognizes representative lynch. Thank you, madam chair. I want to thank you for holding this hearing and also to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from missouri, mr. Clay, thank you for your leadership as well. I want to thank all the witnesses here today. Especially mrs. Box for your willingness and your courage to come before this committee to share your own experience and all of you for sharing your perspectives. As i noted in my oped in the boston globe back in may when this onslaught of state legislation arose, in missouri, alabama, ohio and georgia, the legislatures have recently adopted draconian measures on abortion. Alabama has banned abortion at any stage of pregnancy, even in the case of rape or incest and other cases banned abortions early as six weeks. Which as some witnesses noted, often before women would even know they are pregnant. In georgia, a woman terminating a pregnancy after six weeks could be charged with homicide. These laws are far more punitive than those in place before the roe v. Wade decision. So intrusive and restrict iveive. Health care decisions would be effectively and totally eliminated. Meanwhile, other states are actively considering similar restrictive measures. This all occurs against the backdrop in which republicans in congress repeatedly attempted to eliminate access to contraceptive services, often by groups such as planned parenthood. Ironically, even though those contraceptive services prevent unwanted pregnancies and thereby reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies pregnancies and abortions. Seeking to shutter many of these clinics, cutting off expectant mothers, especially those in the low income areas that rely on services for the prenatal and postnatal care to ensure they have safe and healthy pregnancies. Its to be noted women are and should be in charge of their Reproductive Health and efforts to reduce unwanted pregnancies actually working. All of which leads many to believe that the timing and the similarities of this multistate Campaign Reveal a purely political strategy to energize and motivate the religious right. And that is truly shameful. While i am personally informed by my faith, my actions as a legislator must be in support of and defense of the constitution. That is the oath that i took. And i stand by it. And as i said back in may, if these recent developments closing all clinics, obstruction, obstructing contraceptive services, denying women every option in the Health Care Decisions, if this defines the new pro life movement, you can count me out. I have one question for either counsel graves or howell. Thank you for your kind words regarding mr. Cummings. What would, so there are millions of women each year, and miss mcnickles you might have some, dr. Mcnickles, you might have input on this as well. If we have millions of women who come with other contraceptive Services Providers and yet the government steps in to deny funding and this came to the floor, i spoke against it. This actually came to the floor when the republicans were in control of the house and they proposed to zero out, zero out any federal funding for planned parenthood to carry on its contraceptive services, what would the impact on the abortion rate be and the rate of unwanted pregnancies and the abortion rate if that measure had been implemented . So i think you raise a very important point which is one of the strategies, one of the best strategies we had to reduce unintended pregnancy is actually multilayered. Its first improving the sexual education we provide to our young children, helping them know how their body works and being very positive about understanding how sex works and how you get pregnant. Secondly, its providing them access to the available contraceptive method of their choice when they need it and without barrier, including going to clinic in their neighborhood. Making sure that its affordable for them and making sure that they can change that method often as they need to when their history or their preference changes. Counselor graves, or miss howell, add to that . Many people actually go to planned parenthood for a number of services. Not only Birth Control but also to have tests for diabetes, for mammogram screenings, a lot of the people that we represent and that we work with go to planned parenthood clinics as their primary provider. So to remove services that are vital to them because people are opposed that some planned parenthoods also do abortions means that you are cutting off health care for people who most desperately need it. Its a Good Opportunity to correct something miss stuckey said about planned parenthood. We should be clear with the gag rule the administration put out. Planned parenthood wanted to do right by it patients. Not going to lie to them, misinform them and the idea were now in a situation where providers are being forced to make that sort of decision about whether or not they can continue to serve in largely the lowest income population in the communities is really, really terrible and patients are going to suffer for it. Thank you very much. Madam chair, i yield back. I have a unanimous consent and request. Okay. Thank you, madam chair. Being from georgia, i just want to clarify that the law is not according to the, what was just identified by my colleague. So i provide a variety of different services. Im not asking about the other, services. I can tell you i believe its publicly available, so i, can give you a rough estimate of how many apportionbortions we perform per year. Which is i think roughly around. , 000 3,000. How do you, dispose pof poezpose 3,000 fetuses every year . Missouri has a state law that declares we whats the latestterm abortion that youve performed, like, gestation period in weeks . So my practice includes the provision of abortion up until the point of viability. And, again, we already had a discussion about viability not being just give me the number in weeks then. I dont know. You dont remember the number of weeks . Thats correct. What about size of the unborn baby . Do you know the largest baby that youve aborted . Im not sure how i would even quantify that. Fy use fyif i use the word, fetus, do you know you have no idea the age or gestation period of the fetuses that youre aborting . Zblo so my practice includes the provision of abortion up until the point of viability. And, again, we already had a discussion about viability not being just give me the number in weeks then. I dont know. You dont remember the number of weeks . Thats correct. What about size of the unborn baby . Do you know the largest baby that youve aborted . Im not sure how i would even quantify that. If i use the word, fetus, do you know you have no idea the age or gestation period of the fetuses that youre aborting . So, again, as i said, my practice includes abortion care through the point of viability and as we previously discussed, that could be let me put it this way. At any point. Yes. Is there any point of gestation beyond which you personally would not abort a fetus . You know, medicine is not black and white. I recognize in my ten years of practice informs this opinion that pregnancy can be really complicated and given that there are pregnancies for which a fetus may never be viable, i think its really parentimportant we allow physicians and patients to have every medical resource to make decisions that are foept for important for them their health. In an absence of a law preventing it, would you abort a viable fetus . Again, every patient is different and i cant make any im just asking about a viable fetus, if the law didnt prevent it, would you consider it a limitation morally for you to abort a viable fetus . So i think youre forgetting that there are a number of reasons that go into a patients choice. At your clinic, does it matter what the reason is for the abortion . At my clinic, i trust that women have a valid reason. Every reason that they have is valid. Okay. So, given that you think that every reason is valid, would you abort a viable fetus . If there was not a law preventing it. Again, given that the reality for people choosing abortion is that there are many reasons, there isnt a single thing that defines somebodys choice. It is a reflection you seem to have a hard time you seem to have a hard time saying this. This that me you have it gives me some hope that you hear understand that people do not support you when you say, or if you would say that you would aboard a viable fetus for any reason but given what you told us in your Opening Statement that knowing what you said, we know that she would but it does give me hope that you still know in your heart thats wrong. Im not sure, can i respond to that really quickly. If you would respond to my question you could buy you want some news my remaining time asking, should any reason be a good reason for having an abortion . Absolutely not, its a child, its a life inside the womb im very troubled by how quickly she said there are 3000 abortions performed every year of defenseless, its immoral, the time has expired i recognize, two minutes over mister chairman, we need to be fair on both sides of the aisle please. You want to finish your, finish your answer. I dont quite understand the logic of saying telling the child inside the we win is moral, is health care, and one other situation do we call killing Someone Health care, do we call killing someone immoral, can anyone on the pro abortion side tell me a situation outside of a defensive child inside the womb in which its morally justifiably to kill someone simply because theyre not want. And that is the answer i would like and that is the question i have and i unfortunately dont think anyone is able to answer it for me. The chair recognize the gentlewoman for five women minutes. My republican colleagues suggested that restrictions on abortions have become necessary because advances in medicine are moving the point of viability earlier and earlier, doctor im interested on hearing youre thoughts on this point. Thank you for the question, as i previously alluded to viability isnt an easy thing to assess. Its different with every pregnancy. Thats exactly, right a requires knowledge on multiple fronts of an individuals pregnancy. Thank you for clarifying, i want to thank the witnesses for being here, thank you for sharing your story with us and i want to let you know that i was a planned member of planned parenthood, i am very proud that illinois is an oasis and a shining light in the dark. Mrs. Stocky you said you want to see the same basic compassion, you made that comment, well i wanted to see the same basic compassion for Maternal Mortality, i had to water down the bill i had because the compassionate republicans, not one would signed on the bill to extend medicaid. We have not been able to get a gun violence prevention bill passed because we dont have the same basic compassion once the unborn fees is becomes a baby, we dont seem to have compassion and that area. We dont have the same compassion when it comes to feeding our young people, we dont seem to care about that, we are looking at that cutting that, 500,000 people food dont have that. Where is that compassion once im born, thats the question i have. Well miss kelly thank you for bringing this up, i agree we should have compassion from the move to the two, thats what i believe. I dont necessarily agree with all youre legislative solutions to that i do believe the private sector does a much better job but your premise is that these things are mutually exclusive that we either have to be on your side on the debate or for violently murdering children inside the womb. You are saying that we are violently murdering but there are a lot of kids being murdered every day and we dont do anything about that. Im really claiming my time, in any recently signed a law to it ensures coverage for abortion care and optics clinics regulations to lift that abortion from Abortion Providers, how does eliminated coverage bands improve access to abortion care for women who are working to make ends meet. It all mean that the right to abortion would have been legal for almost 50 years will also be a rate that is successful two women. For women no matter their income, whether that right is accessible to you should not be depended on your financial means. Because the other thing we never talk about is wealthier women who tend to not be women of color they have been having abortions for a long time whether theyre in red states or blue states, or whatever their political interests are. How a rolling bar target this. Here is what we know these targeted regulations of Abortion Providers are designed to shut down clinics, theyre designed to shame patients, theyre designed to confuse people and disrupt the doctor patient relationship all of that makes abortion less accessible and all of that, listening i have to say the rhetoric that is surrounding it on top of the sorts of regulations and restrictions have made all of this so difficult for people who are just trying to live their lives and get the health care that they need. I know from a lot of College Students said they are not going to planned parenthood to get an abortion they are going for a health, that is their place of choice to get health care not for abortions. Yeah planned parenthood is very proud to provide services to people who are financially and secure and to do that in a way that serves their needs and respects their dignity. Thank you, i yield back my time. The gentleman from georgia recognized for five minutes. Seems to me that a lot of this debate an argument centers around whether or not the baby is a purpose or person or fetus, i recognize that, refused to recognize the baby as the baby, refused to recognize it as a person or views its humanity. There have been a lot of medical advances certainly over the last several decades, can you tell us about some specific Scientific Evidence supporting the personhood, the humanity of the baby, the viability. Thank you for your question, embryology tells us that the child from the moment of conception has a separate dna, so when we hear these euphemisms like my body my choice immediately obscuring the life of a child it shows me that the pro abortion argument doesnt deal with fact but feeling, which is why we have a hard time getting a clear answer from panelists. What abortion actually, is what does it do because talking about tearing a child apart limb by limb is in a very good pr strategy for planned parenthood or abortion industry. All im trying to do is to remind us when were having this conversation that there are two people, to people and i dont believe that we have to hit a mother against her child for mother to be successful. We talked about legislative solutions and showing compassion for children after theyre born, i absolutely believe in that, every pro Life Pregnancy Center that ive been a part of, that i donated to they dont just council the women, they also offer parenting classes, they are offering help for abusive situations, programs for young women to get affordable baby clothes and maybe products, things like that, so every prolife organization cares about children in the way home, after theyre born and the mother, who is pregnant with the children that is what im trying to argue, lets not ignore the scientific reality that a baby is a baby and therefore in my opinion is deserving of the rachel life. The way this is going beyond abortion in the womb as we all were hala vied, the virginia Governor Ralph Northam and his description of however it could possibly be described as opposed birth abortion, one of the most horrifying thing where the baby would sit on the table and we would decide what to do with it, how do you respond to this . Yes thats a great point that you bring up, unfortunately this has been a reality in other places across the cult three we like to act like this is not a thing the cdc itself it over the span of 11 years at least 143 of the babies were born alive and then not resuscitated where born alive and not cared for, only six states actually require this kind of reporting so the number 1 43 is probably a lot higher than that. So we see this is not just degradation actually run inside the womb, its a degradation of babies in general of life based on whether or not this child is wanted by the mother, again i ask what other context or stage of life do we decide if someone gets to die simply because theyre not wanted and its not to provoke a slippery slope fallacy, but really what weve seen from statements and from other statements that we have heard is that it truly is a slope, there is a logical and moral slip to this in and seems like the pro abortion cited citing down very quickly. To this point you brought forth planned parenthoods own study that the majority of women have abortions not because of their own personal health but because of comedians, a job whatever it may be, how do those findings from planned parenthood itself undermine the narrative particularly about a late term abortions and it has nothing to do with the health of the mother. Yes we can have conversations about the health of the mother in those very rare circumstances but as you mentioned and as planned parenthood noted, the vast majority of cases are for any reason whatsoever, not wanting a child, not being convenient, wanting to finish school. If the pro abortion side were honest, they are fine with that they are open to the normalization, there organizations that normalize abortion and de stigmatize abortion that means they believe abortion to be not only normal but good. Actually we heard the doctors say she thinks abortion is good, if you believe abortion is morally good of course you dont think it should be limited to the life of the mother or any of those very rare circumstances. Its nine months on demand, that is the motto. The fact is the baby is a person for that reason how could be moral to kill it . I dont know what else it if its not a person. I recognize the gentlewoman from michigan for five minutes. Thank you mister chairman im glad to be here for this hearing, this hearing should be a substantive discussion on how to expand access to care for women, i am disappointed that my republican colleagues are using this hearing to make such blatantly false claims. The young lady who speaks in generalization and for the record while one side calls themselves pro life there is not a person i know that says theyre pro abortion, they are pro choice. Abortions are not infanticide, that is not how abortion works, this type of deceptive rhetoric is trying to distract efforts to make abortion out of the reach for women and shut down clinics. I have had this debate a number of times on this panel, this myth strews that are spoke in about rip in full size babies out of wombs and killing them, that is not true, selling part is not true. It seems like it is enjoyed to say because it paints this horrific picture and we should say the truth, statistics. Im so sorry mrs. Backs tier the pain you and your family had to suffer and thank you for bringing the beautiful baby in the room, have you considered whether this a law that has been proposed and passed in misery would have prevented you from having an abortion if it had existed two years ago. Thank you, it absolutely would have prevented me from having an abortion, at a wakes who is within the ban was passed it was impossible to know of the chromosome abnormalities, i am not the doctor but we did the early genetic testing because im an advanced maternal age. Another one of my not favorite terms and so i believe that we found out before most women and families would find no because we found out earlier because most people would not find out until the 20 week anatomy scan. I can say that after libby i was able to successfully get pregnant and, my daughter is now being quiet thankfully. So i was pregnant during the time that the state legislature was an acting this ban and Governor Parsons assign us into law. And our 20 week ultrasound they couldnt get a couple of years of the car. Physicians werent concerned but what sued of been a happy day to know that we are having a successful pregnancy. Ended with me being in the car, my husband and i walking out of the employment and me being in the car sobbing hysterically because they would inseam again until i was 24 weeks along in missouri, because they were worried, that was my next regular schedule deployment. In missouri that wouldve been too late and what i kept telling my husband what if they find something devastating now, i cant protect my daughter and i understand that we dont agree on things but i would like you to remember that you are calling me and my husband murderers and you believe in compassion and love, i would ask for compassion and respect when you speak about these decisions. Americans make these decisions that are difficult and personal and we deserve to be treated with respect rather or not you condone our, choice i dont need your approval mrs. Stocky but i would ask for your respect. I appreciate what you are saying, and a few minutes i have left i want to bring another issue to the table, we in this country have the highest Maternal Mortality rate of any civilized country in the world. And for women to be dying to give birth in america is unacceptable and with the same energy that we are making Health Decisions and decisions about our bodies and we should as women in america have the same choices that men have without the goverment telling them what to do. I often use the comparison because now there is discussion about Birth Control, i would love to have a debate about viagra and whether the government should regulate or restrict biographer man. That is never been on the table, so women are targeted and for us to have the same passion of a discussion about saving women who want to have babies and this medical industry is failing us we need to have the same passion, i yield back. The judge a womans time has expired, i will say that we are sorry that you and your family had to experience what you did and now i recognize the gentleman mr. Grossman for five minutes. A couple of quick questions for the doctor, if someone came to who was eight months pregnant with a healthy baby girl and said they want to have an abortion because they didnt one another girl, would you perform an abortion . So that sensationalized hypothetical is not real, and never had that happen before. But you said you would have an abortion, im just giving you an example or lets say someone came in within a month pregnancy and wanted to have an abortion because they didnt feel they had time to care for a baby. I want to reject the notion that people make decisions continuing their pregnancy out of convenience, i have never in ten years taken care pregnant people requesting to take a bit abortion because it was not convenient. You report that people come to planned parenthood for contraceptive care as well, if a 14 or 13 year old came to you which you give them the contraceptives. So we talk to all of our patients about the availability of our their contraceptive methods, particularly for young people we have an indepth discussion about behaviors, infection, at the importance about making informed decisions. If a 13 year old is sexually active by definition thats a Sexual Assault, to make any efforts to report the person who is engaged in illegal activity engaged in sexuality with the young lady. If by law we would do it. What do you make any efforts . If we were required to do we would do it. If you werent required to do it you wouldnt do it. You know talking to young people about their sexual health. If someone comes in as a 13 Year Old Girl wants have an abortion, which means inevitably or certainly something illegally was done, Sexual Assault would you probe into that anymore or what you just do the abortion and not worry . One of the most impactful times i have is discuss saying particularly around issues of Sexual Assault, we provide patients the space to discuss what happen if they want to discuss that, recognizing that it can be incredibly dramatic to discuss that in any Single Health situation and so i would respect whatever is comfortable for her. Ill give you another question, if someone comes in it doesnt have the money for an abortion, says theyre broken i have want an abortion, do you per for the portion or you dont do the abortion. We make every effort to take care of a patients every needs regardless of their financial in securities, so i understand talking to people in your industry you will find a way to do an abortion whether the government is paying for it, or nobody you will find the money to do that abortion. The government does not pay for abortions, people are navigating the complexity of bake paid basic health care. So you dont turn people down. We do not turn people away. I have toured some abortion clinics and one thing that struck me about the abortion clinics this was 20 years since i toured them, they never use the word abortion or feed is, they always used the words procedure and tissue, jews still use those words procedure and tissue. 20 years is long time, i invite you back to see what happens there, i absolutely use the words fetus and abortion, i take the direction from my patients who absolutely understand the potential life that is in their uterus, most patients who have abortions our parents they are well aware of what would happened, they would have a baby. We are running out of time here, we did past the 24 hour waiting people period. We have one of the most restrictive waiting period, 72 hours and requires a physician. This came up as part of a lawsuit because the waiting period bill, about 20 came were given an amount of money didnt come back the second time which would indicate that they were on offense and given more time they decide not to have the abortion, percentage wise of all the women i come to see you what percent dont come back. I think you made an assumption about what that 10 means my informed assessment of that is those 10 of women really struggle to figure out a way to get back because they dont have the financial means, the secure transportation means, the ability to navigate additional time. So youre not gonna answer my question. I recognize the gentleman from california for five minutes. Thank you for your leadership and convening this hearing, i would like to discuss state and federal restrictions to abortion accidents and the disproportionate impact they have on lgbtq patients, doctor make nicholas a few questions for you. First can you briefly describe the need for abortion care among the lgbtq community. Absolutely thank you for your question, the first most basic thing that most people forget is that your sexual or orientation is not a fine who youre having sex with, so people and all of those communities may experience pregnancy, similarly and i had the honor of taking care of many transit non binary folks in my career, so long as you have a uterus you have the capability of getting pregnant and if you think that access saying of abortion care is stigmatizing, imagine what its like when you are presenting as youre authentic male self. I appreciate you mentioning that there are a transgender man that rely on these services, in 2015 when the National Center for trans Equality Survey transgender americans, 23 of respondents didnt see a doctor when they needed to because of quote, fear of being miss treated as a transgender person, as a doctor can you describe some of the challenges gender diverse patients face and accessing health care and abortion care specifically. In my practice ive had the great honor of taking care of many specifically trans men seeking hysterectomies and their transformation process. One of the things i hear from them unequivocally, each one of them is that there has been tremendous delays and accessing very basic care, one because theyre afraid they will be treated with dignity and respect in the second because that is their lived experience, they have been turned down by many patients, excuse me physicians and have been intentionally degraded with, for example use of intentional misgendering of the patient in front of them. Can you also described some of these specific things that gay, lesbian, and trans experience in the facility. Gay allies be in folks want to be parents, i have a wife and a child, i fit into that group as well, its important they are able to access that karen on plays they are respect and dignified, planned parenthood is happy to be one of those places. Thank you so much to speaking to those issues, turning to you miss howl, transgender people are four times more likely than the general population to live below the poverty line, and close to one and four lesbian bisexual women live in poverty, yet current laws prevented federal medicaid dollars being used to cover Abortion Services, how do these funding restrictions overlap with identity to make it even less accessible to the lgbtq communities . The discrimination that go towards because they are either trans or gender non binary or lgbtq it really does hit them harder because as was already mentioned they are afraid to go and get services and when they go to get services they find that some of their current regulations allow people to discriminate against them and that they even find they dont have any access to getting good Reproductive Health Services Much less regular Health Care Services our organization does believe that all people have the right to get Reproductive Health services regardless of whether they identify as lgbtq, whether they are trans, whether they are a low income, all these factors should be taken into account to allow them to get the kind of services that they deserve, so laws or regulars students that allow this to be done by the government that allows other people to discriminate against them, puts them at higher risk and both are the laws and regulations that we fight again. Thank you for your advocacy for some of the most vulnerable populations, i believe we really need to consider their asked says to health care as we craft these laws, a yield back my time. Thank you. Thank you for being here, i appreciate you all coming to take part in a discussion that is very emotionally charged with very deeply held beliefs of conscience on both sides of the issue. For me the most difficult decisions as lawmakers are those in which individual rights are in conflict with each other, for me on this issue where i come down is that life in pursuit of happiness, which rights supersede and i do believe the compassion for anyone who has to go through a difficult situation, the right to life super seeds that, so in that context i approach this conversation. Doctor can you describe what happens in the process of an abortion to a baby. I appreciate your question and i want to first know that abortion was around before there was even concept of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The abortion procedure depends on the clinical situation, when i speak to patients about their options for terminating a pregnancy eye star with where are we in pregnancy, i only have five minutes could you speak to the process. I realize its difficult it medicine and things arent short, its impossible for me to take what is often a 50minute conversation a not for it to you in 30 seconds. As i approach patients i talked to them about what their options are in for pregnancy termination that really depends on a variety of things, including what stage of pregnancy, what are there other medical or Health Problems and they have, were there any particular instances in previous pregnancy. Is stocky could you describe what happens in the process of an abortion. Well apparently im the only one willing to talk about specifics, this is free on line anyone could look even planned parenthood website describes what you can see abortion is, its taking out the empty and if we were, drying it out from the uterus and then what the baby needs to serve five, dismembering the baby limb by limb, being deceitful or hyperbolic, not at all look online and you can see what it is, but again we see that it is not me speaking in generalities it is the pro abortion say that is speaking in generalities because they know the grotesque nature of one an abortion procedure is, you dont have to be an Abortion Provider is tonight it is, thats exactly why im here to talk about the absolute brutality of the killing of life inside the womb. I also want to address miss box, i have the most compassion for, anti did not say murders to that i dont think i am being in compassion about this, i dont disrespect you i think we can disagree even passionately without taking that as a personal slight and i certainly didnt mean it that way, i just care about life inside the womb and protecting babies unborn. I very little time life now but missed graves you mentioned that nothing is changed since roe v. Wade i actually said i just want to correct you because i was talking about the whole Womens Health decision which was three years ago and the case that is going to be before the court this term. But a lot has changed, back in the seventies he was rare for an ultrasound, for women to have an interest, now you know a whole lot, you know a baby can be viable on 20 weeks, we know that a baby feels pain, i ask unanimous consent to submit this peer review scientists fake article on fetal pain, that a baby feels during abortion. There is a lot that is happened and certainly i think the scientific enhances merits us for looking at this. The Supreme Court did, considered this. You mentioned another Health Expansion when you took over a year abortion clinic, were you aware of the history of Health Violations at your cleaning before you took over. So our clinic has been subject to repeated inspections which we have passed with a single inspection up until this year when clearly became it was no longer about ensuring the safety of patients and it became about a quest to end Abortion Access. Well i ask unanimous consent this is only seven states of violations at abortion clinics. No objection we accept this entry. Youre in time has expired. I now recognize congresswoman pressley for her questioning she has been a tireless advocate for these issues on this committee, so thank you for your leadership. Thank you acting chair maloney for holding the line on this full hearing since the transition of chairman cummings, thank you miss knocks this box turning year pain into purpose, we thank all of you for being here. Elijah cummings often reminded us that we are to be efficient and effective pursuit of the truth, so we are still trying to arrive at that it seems today. This conversation cannot be more timely as we bear witness to an experience this administrations calculated systemic attacks on our Constitutional Rights and freedoms. The raid to determine our own Economic Future and the audacity to determine our own faith and freedom german wynne and at all if you have a child. Even in states like the commonwealth of massachusetts which i represent individuals particularly low income and young people, lgbtq continue to face barriers and accessing comprehensive Reproductive Health care and let me be clear, health care is abortion care. But in these times we have seen many states emboldened by this Administration Pass additional restrictions that hindered individuals restrictions access to abortion and criminalizing individuals for decisions, this should be kept between themselves and their doctor, in support and to discuss these restrictions but as chair an access task fors of this first effort of pro choice majority i would be remiss to fight in also shed light on the impact the federal coverage bands are posing on our communities. It restricts medicaid friends from abortion care for womens and communities across the. State the Hyde Amendment function as the original abortion ban for a low income individuals. According to the institute, one in four low income in women john kerry unwanted pregnancy, miss cause graves how do bans force low income into poverty. Just to add what some women have as the hardest term in our life they are now in a situation because they are on medicaid or because they are on a federal health plan or other federal restrictions they no longer have or in a situation where their health care can be covered by insurance, like the rest of their health care, so all of us at it and you have to scrap together nominee on top of a range of other barriers. Those barriers may look like having to triumph Long Distances having to pay for child care because of multi day waiting periods, it is not only in the restrictions on coverage, you also have these other costs. For the right to abortion and has been legal for 50 years and reaffirmed again and again by the Supreme Court, most recently in just three years, ago that right is not just for those that are affluent, not just for those who happen to live in his state and where the state is trying to make up for the very serious gaps in federal gun fridge. That raid is a fundamental right, it is a right that is tied to your ability to have dignity in this country, it is a rate that is tight youre ability to have freedom in this country and it is fundamental to your Economic Security. Thank you. I would be remiss if i did not acknowledge a champions in the efforts and i want to acknowledge the other people in our prochoice caucus, thank you for being here. Each year 700 women are likely to die during childbirth, this is been worse for blackening of american women, can you speak to report connecting youre impacts to connecting this and Maternal Health care crisis. I want to acknowledge because there is a conversation about compassion for the innocence, earlier today i ruled out the calling out abolishing the death penalty, won in 25 are wrongfully convicted an innocent so i look forward to my colleagues signing on to adulation. Miss howell. The report that you referred to looks at the correlation between Maternal Mortality and states that have placed these bans on, gates in portion, what we know is that trying to, if you decided that you need to terminate a pregnancy and you are or denied that care it puts additional stress on you, we also know that women who are denied abortion care ten to delay prenatal care so there is an additional stress as well, i might add an odd give you some of the states that have the worst abortion bans in some of the worst Maternal Mortality resolved outcomes. Alabama, georgia, ohio, missouri unfortunately and a lot of the Southern State south carolina, texas, those are the states that primarily have these outrageous abortion bans and prevent people from actually accessing abortion care but they also have. The general eight year time is expiring. They also have some of the highest mortality rates for Maternal Mortality, so we have to look at both of those things together in terms of what it means to access good Reproductive Health care for people. Thank you madam chair. The chair recognizes representative miller. Thank you madam chairman and Ranking Member green and thank you all for being here today, as a mother i have had the privilege to feel life in my room, as a grandmother i know the joy of grandchildren, i have gotten to experience at least joy having grandchildren because its just unconditional love. I have had family members and friends who have yearned to be parents were unable to have children out of their own. I have had friends and family who have been adopted and they are very grateful. I have had friends and family who have adopted children and they are very grateful, they have brought such blessings to their family, however i have become increasingly concerned as of late about the actions taken by my colleagues across the aisle, washington democrats refused to protect babies even after theyre born alive after an abortion attempt and its so heartbreaking, our most vulnerable and youngest citizens deserve our utmost protection is stocky speaking of medical innovation i think we can all say that women having access to all health care is important that being said not every planned parenthood provides comprehensive Womens Health care, can you elaborate on the positive steps at the Trump Administration has done to not only protect life but to ensure women have better access to health care through federally qualified Health Centers. Thank you for that question i want to address an issue that i think we can all agree on that the Maternal Mortality rate in this country is too high. I think the number is 3. 3 higher for African American women than it is for a white women and i believe that we need to address that and i would encourage the Trump Administration to address that i dont understand why the exclusive solution that we discuss is abortion why is that the only solution that we discuss between not come together and discuss how we can best care for a woman and her child, why do we have to sacrifice a child when it is not medically necessary. So President Trump has been the most prolife, most anti abortion im okay with that two, anti abortion administrations and Ronald Reagan, maybe even more so than Ronald Reagan the mexico city policy and we know and acting in the final rule for a title tenants is you have to physically and financially so operator portion services for the rest of your contraceptive care in order to receive the funding and i heard earlier a comment about this gag rule it is not you cannot encourage someone to get an abortion but you can cancel them neutrally, so thats not actually a gag rule its on a limit on free speech, President Trump has ensured that these policies can go forth and giving states the freedom to protect life inside the room and for that im very thankful. You might be familiar by efforts to protect babies that arent borne alive many argue that the born alive act is unnecessary because doing so violates existing criminal law, do you believe federal law should be clarified to ensure babies born alive after a failed abortion should receive critical medical care . Yeah and needs to be clarified, this new law the democrats have tried to blockade is simply criminalizes the neglect of an Abortion Provider to attend the medical needs of a child who survives an abortion. Further recognizes the childs personhood and says this is a medical treatment that is required for a child outside the room, were not even talking inside the woman anymore, and force the democrats cant even get on board with that, there is no undue burdens, regulations, this is not preventing Abortion Providers from giving this, this is saying if a child survives an abortion intent to that child, if you are pro choice and not pro abortion is over and many times during this hearing that should be a nobrainer. I understand a baby kid survive as early as 23 weeks old, can you answer as age of viability has changed in law mean that possible . Well its technology and medicine advances thankfully they can give incredible needle cares of that a child as young as 21 weeks has been known to survive outside the womb. That is pretty early in the second prime minister, a 24 weeks that is accepted. That means a child has a good chance if she were to be born prematurely to live outside the room, to grow, she would spend outside she would grow our up if everything went well and she was healthy into a normal functioning child, you wouldnt be able to look back and see the child being premature. So what we are talking about these children as if theyre not children, not babies, if youre talking about near location on the one hand we talk about them as if they are just these parasites to be discarded as these remains of pregnancy, i think i heard what the doctor said earlier and then a second later when theyre outside the womb there all the sudden babies. Unfortunately as you pointed out another Congress People have pointed out even then, even and they dont seem to be respected by the pro abortion side. Thank you, i yield back. Thank you i understand that the witness stocky has a flight she has to catch, i will dismiss are noting and there may be other additional questions that i requests that she answered them and writing and thank you for your testimony and i hope you dont miss your flight. Thank you. So the next speaker would be wasserman congresswoman schultz. Thank you madam chair i have a question of you in fairness i would like miss stocky to hear my question because i wouldnt want i wouldnt want there to be any assumption i was saying in as she was no longer in the room. I just want to clarify that miss stocky is here expressing her own opinion exclusively and has now scientific expertise on this subject matter whatsoever. I want to ask you from your knowledge of the description of the witnesses experience. That is my understanding. Thank you i just wanted to clarify that particular fact. But i think the witness should answer in all fairness. I think it says something when i the one without the scientific or medical background is the only want to give you specifics. Reclaiming my time. The question was not a view and you have essentially acknowledge that youre here expressing your own opinion, which we appreciate. The other thing i wanted to point out is that no one here today has said that abortion is the only solution to address the Maternal Mortality rate, how about access to prenatal care, how about the passage of the Affordable Care act and make sure remains the law of the land so women are no longer considered preexisting conditions just because of our existing of women and the potential to be dropper denied coverage because of our propensity to have babies, which happens all the time before the Affordable Care act i could go on with many other provisions that we advocate to make sure that we can reduce the Maternal Mortality, rates early abortion is not the only thing we suggest and in fact is not a solution that we ever suggest to reduce the Maternal Mortality rate, its ridiculous suggested. What is in averaging color suggestion is a decision to become apparent is the most important headline positions we make, watching the rapid expansion of stay laws that limit the autonomy to make the choice is troubling. Besides from reproductive freedom is something we are all too familiar with in florida, ive seen republicans in my home state, in the legislature juice bills to ban abortion after six weeks, that are based on considering medical diagnoses and right now fasttracking a draconian law. We need to be unequivocal about calling them what they, are sinister attempts to interfere with a womans right to make your own personal Health Choices and decisions an obvious steps in a larger plan to ban all abortions. Ive we heard misery has enacted so many restrictions that only one clinic is left standing, because my time is limited i want to ask the doctor, the excuse that a patient can drive to another state, visit unacceptable rationale for any other type of medical service and is it i heard to say that requiring patient delays, to get knocking in care arrangement that would have later abortions in Higher Health risk . Thank you and acknowledging them any intersecting realities of the mueller navigating when theyre trying to access basic health care. And missouri that means driving hundreds of miles multiple times, im reminded of a patient i took here recently in the second trimester who actually was able to get in the clinic the first time very early and six weeks of pregnancy, she went home and scheduled her clinic procedure old age for about a week and a half later but unfortunately was in a car accident on the way tonight appointment. Because missouri is a lot not only requires a waiting period but requires it to me with the same position wont perform here procedure, her to visit abortion became for visit appointment, she was pushed from seven weeks to 15 weeks, this is exactly what happens when there is no contacts and no medical or scientific grounding, patients are pushed to later later pregnancy which is ironic for cohen folks that want to limit abortion leader and pregnancy. Thank you, miss box i want to end with you and im so sorry for your loss but i know they are overjoyed and your daughter that you brought with you. It received test results your daughter had a chromosome anomaly, if the missouri law had been a law in the state of missouri which you have considered leaving the city to have an abortion, how difficult would it have been for you if you anyone into travel to obtain or abortion care . So the answer is yes i wouldve looked at how i can taken my daughter regardless of the regulations and state trying to interfere with, the truth is even though abortion, the ban had not come into effect yet, we didnt look at leaving missouri and going a representative state of illinois and because the restrictions there are fewer. The gentlemans time is expired. So we wouldve done anything we can interact turned on her regardless of governmental intrusion. Thank you for sharing your personal story, i denouncing my time. I now recognize representative green. Thank you madam chairwoman, my first question is for the doctor, if the indian name from a fetus and mother were found at a crime scene, say its two one samples fetal bomb and mother plan and we put them on the crime scene, investigators know nothing and they find two samples, when the investigators cvs as two separate people. I have no idea. Of course they would, you now an stern affront ian ease in the to dean his and they say its two people. My next question, for you as well recently in california mother was charged for killing her unborn baby by excessive matt amphetamine use it, if the money mother hang on abortion and kill the baby she wouldve been charged. You see the hypocrisy in this . I think its tragic that we are arising people that need basic health care and treatment for their drug addiction problem. Absolutely someone who uses a matte should get help, no doubt about it and she was charged with a crime for the authentic cause of her baby, and child was a stillborn, i just find that hypocritical that issue just gone and prior to planned parenthood she wouldnt be charged. You know i mean a transition a little bit, i want people to make their own choices and for freedom when one persons freedom impinges on the freedom of another, for example if someone else fire, now and against the law because potentially stampede could occur and people would be hurt. Abortion is indecision where one person makes it in and it leads to the death of another person, so that is something to take into consideration. My next question i was going to ask him is stocky, i will just read the question and the audience in others consider in, a few years ago freezer unit protecting fertilized human eggs, where they had combined form a who has broken and in thousand of these fertilizing sort of, and his want to ask people in the room whether or not they would agree with the headline in the newspaper the following. Its and it was a human tragedy that these alliance were lost, just consider that, my next question is back to you doctor. In regards to the arranging compatibility, why a new high as an ear physician half to treat the mothers with program to prevent her so two minutes fairness and i have thirties and fit. All right indeed i treat these patients all the time. Sure so in the instance where the fetus has indifferent onetimes in the lyme there are occasions where the mom can create her own defensive mechanism into that situation which win in a subsequent pregnancy attack a subsequent pregnancy and have some serious conditions for the fetus. That was pretty good indeed in about 30 seconds, she is absolutely correct basically the mothers immune system sees that second child is for and attacks it because it hasnt affordable anti than the mother. Lindsay i also wanted to share you quick observations as in your physician, i know that there are a lot of statements about the safety of abortion, i just want to tell you i have treated many patients in the Emergency Department where the abortion hasnt gone as intended, where products of conception or a baby parts are left inside the mother and sepsis results in those patients come to us and we take care of them in the Emergency Department and receive their ally from land infection. I also want to say that ive taken care of many over the year as an emergency medicine who have come in leading from one abortion, the unfortunate thing is and the obstetrician as a take care of that patient into the abortion, so it isnt on the patients history, they are missing them into surgery to stop the bleeding and save the patients life, that does happen and it happens more frequently than many people would want you to know, what it is a reality and i just want to say thats why i, support Abortion Providers having credentials at a hospital where they can treat the complications of the surgical procedure of the abortion are zones in the into that. When , now i think to recognize congressman raskin. That im sure thank you for calling this important hearing, big brother seems to have come to missouri, the state has arrived in missouri and all of our colleagues who like to strike a libertarian no when it comes to people possessing ar15s in military style assault weapons, the kinds of a wrecking havoc across the land suddenly become the champions of live finally the, guilty add, any all powerful state, politicians making Health Care Choices for people. Hear the president of the National Womens law center, you know something about the history of sterilization in our country where certainly tens of thousands of women at least are sterilized, if government has the power to prevent a woman from having an abortion against her will wont government also have the power to sterilize women against their will, which was so much a part of our history . You know i think its important to put the right to abortion which is a core and fundamental in the context of a range of rates, the raid to abortion is in the context of the make Reproductive Health care choices, contraceptions, sterilization and not having for sterilization but its also aligned the set of rights around the right to be intimate, the right to marry, all those things fall along the line of decisions that and i made from the 14th amendment guarantee around liberty and the ability to live with dignity. Doctor officials in missouri the director of the health have necessary for the health and safety of seeking an abortion, in your opinion his requirement that a physician have admitting privileges at a local hospital necessary for the health and safety of a woman who seeking an abortion . So the short answer is no and the longer answer is not my opinion, its what science in fact and the most recent public publication of the National Academy of scientists have told us. What about this 17 72 hour waiting period between the woman seeking it and getting an abortion, that they adopted a provision for a two pelvic exams during that time, it is that necessary for the health and safety of women in missouri . None of those are required to maintain health and safety. How do you know that . Science. There are plenty of published literature again supported by the National Academy publication that it is denim stated that not only is it not medically relevant or necessary they actually cause harm. What about from the standpoint the patient, miss box and we come to you, did you feel that any of the procedure for girls in hopes that were set up that you were forced to jump through where necessary for your health and safety . No i found them insulted, they presume that my husband and i didnt have the ability to make a decision for ourself, the waiting period that the doctor was talking about and the mandatory safe position rule mean that lie abortion that happened at around 15 weeks had i not been able to do the available today that the physician had i actually would have been outside of when the legal timeframe in missouri, i was well short of it, i wouldve had to reconsider and been given another booklet of medically inaccurate information which my husband and i refer to read the book of shame and all of that presumes and i think what i find most insulting as a patient is that he didnt have the ability to think for myself, that i needed in my State Government to put that time and for me. I thank you for that important and saying when i talk about this book of shade, i think you sturdier testimony by saying that one a quarter of american women will have an abortion over the course of their lifetime, most of them also others as you are, you have how many kids . I have three living children. Well they want to throw the book at shame of tens of millions of american women, how does that feel to you as a citizen in missouri, you get hit by the book of shape. Its devastating, and our particular case we were in the middle of a very grief stricken process and we ran a crisis and to have confusing and misleading information when youre trying to make a medical decision on his horrifying that we would ever allow patients to get mischaracterization and misinformation and hope they can make the best decision for themselves. Finally i want to ask this question while all the witnesses where, we can make history by getting the prochoice witnesses and the anti choice witnesses to agree on a Prolife Program which is a universal gun purchase check, at least for the witnesses that are here, which you region across the aisle to the prolife witnesses to say that you would stand for that. I let the record reflect, i think they will not have their heads. Teed thank you for holding this hearing and for being our inspiration highlighting whats happening in your state. I think we need to be honest here cant, everything he designed to make your very difficult decision to, personal decision, not a state decision was designed to take away your choice. What this was description insidious logic, because there might have been complications from some abortions all abortions should be eliminated on, even though the overwhelming majority of legal abortions because of roe v. Wade, they are medically supervised and are safe and allow women and families to have choices anti, the changes in title ten are designed again to take liberty of choice. The entire got planned parenthood, insidious designed to take away choices and being willing to deny Women Health Care pant as the precis you have to pay for their ideological stance and the stockys pant misguided moral absolutism for all the rest of us. Of course the sacrifice of science as you pointed out, that has to be in there to because science isnt inconvenient source of information and truth cant. Again denied you and your family at the critical moment and the decision you had to make. Net doctor mike nichols, how many net women, patients just planned parenthood see every year . The plans appearance of the st. Louis region. Nationwide . Our missouri affiliates even 50,000 a year. 50, 000, would you guess its more than doctor green seas and here, it is and i would actually like to highlight to dr. Agreeance point about safety that i have yet to see an oral surgeon be brought in front of congress to talk about the risk of wisdom teeth but having an abortion is safer than having wisdom teeth removed, so mischaracterizing it as anything other men safe is inappropriate, it south here so yes unfortunately outcomes do you have been for some people but by and large it is safer than it wisdom teeth, and i will also say its far safer than carrying a pregnancy to term. And safe became roe v. Wade made one law, looting misery. We have lots of examples internationally that she was a legalization of abortion is one of the most important Public Health lifesaving interventions for women. Would it be fair to say that absent roe v. Wade, its not that abortion will disappear it will that people will be forced once again to go into the shadows to secure those services, to make those decisions or go to states the do protected legally, is that a fair statement . As i mentioned before abortion was around before the constitution and i will not go where away anywhere if you removed it. The sewer choices make it safe, hopefully its rare because contraception is available, Family Planning is available, but it has to be an option as miss boxes personal experience tells us, its a health decision, a hard one, a heartbreaking one for many people cant but to deny them access to it because youve decided on the morality of it or youve made up science to justify your own personal beliefs is to impose here will on the majority of americans, including womens who are affected by this choice. Title to doctor, planned parenthood decided to pull out of titles have even though it is not provide funding for abortions, is that correct . Thats correct. Why did planned parenthood decide to leave title ten . I think as was previously mentioned, there is a really fundamental issue for planned parenthood, which is that the new rule would force us to lie to patients unintentionally exclude information that could be important and lifesaving for them. Real quickly, because it provides other health care cant for women, they are not gonna be denied that coverage because of planned parenthood being forced out of the program, is acrobatic . We are going to try our very best to meet all the needs of our patients including those that were previously including receiving title ten but i think the point is well taken that with production of planned parenthood seeing title ten patients there will be a tremendous gap in services for patients said our low at got more people of color. My time is expired, i think you all for being here and the courage of share, especially you miss box. To recognize congresswoman tlaib pant. Sorry i didnt know i was next, thank you so much i really is incredible portage that you are here to talk about the particular issue, especially the woman serving the United States congress, i want to personally thank you for defending my right to choose. One of the things i want to discuss is the impact of politically motivated restrictions of abortions, access to Maternal Health but even more, you get around in fifth mortality, when i served six years in the machine state legislator i was taken aback by so much time and effort and debated conversation around the right to choose forces it fit mortality, Maternal Health, all the things that i think are interconnected with the reasoning behind folks who want to support life, right, there is an issue that is deeply concerning to me that parts of my home district have among the highest Maternal Mortality rates in the country in 2014 no woman given president detroit was three times more likely to die in childbirth than the rest of the culturally. In fifth mortality is double the National Rate and it just goes on and on, so doctor missouri was one of the highest threats, have the highest rates of Maternal Mortality in that country and it continues to rise especially along women of color, in fact black women in missouri or three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications and other women. Is that correct . That is correct law. What state official is responsible for addressing Maternal Mortality and missouri . That would be the director of our law so he is the same official that is spend state dollars unnecessarily tracking menstrual cycles of planned parenthood patients, correct . How do you think that he should be spending time, what do you think he should be doing right now and again around the sandy ideals that theyre supporting this, they won support the women that are having children. Yet you raise a great polite, utter doctor williams missouri went to 42nd to 44th and the country and Maternal Mortality, while he is spending his time visiting on, his time and resources on visiting planned parenthood he could be focusing on things like addressing Maternal Mortality, addressing the system i get institutional on that is three times higher for black women, he could be focusing on improving access for the role of women, in missouri is one of the states to because we have an expanded medicaid, thats another thing he could do, we have a rural hospitals closing at alarming rates, so if you want to continue your pregnancy youre chance of having a healthy pregnancies sabotaged by the fact that you have no hospital you could go to to get care for that pregnancy. There are a number of things that he could be doing to address Maternal Mortality. The hypocrisy so adjust and observe, miss how youre on, black women face greater barriers to access Reproductive Health care, would do you think accounts for these discrepancies . Black women are disproportionately getting their Health Insurance from medicaid, bands or access to abortion care and to get coverage, so what happens is that when they fight they are pregnant and they decide they want to terminate a pregnancy. To go they have to go through a number of steps, they have to figure out how to afford it, when they can take off work, how they can get childcare, how far they have to travel, one of the things that we did is we asked black women in a pool water all the factors you take into account when you are deciding whether or not to have a child . It wasnt just about having money, it was also about having a neighborhood where, Neighborhood Services were happening, it was about being able to get quality food services. It is about clean water, there were a number of factors and if you are a woman of low income and you get your health care from medicaid you also have all these other factors that come into. Thats why when we were talking about no one knowing all the reasons why someone might try to terminate a pregnancy, our organization trusts black women to make those personal decisions that are best for themselves and their families, the other side clearly does not trust us to make those decisions. No they want to control us, thank you and i yield the rest of my time. I think my friend from michigan for her powerful voice and i now call upon one of congress is most outstanding leaders, my good friend and colleague barbara lee, i want to publicly thank her for her tireless work and for being such a powerful advocate for progress, gender, justice, and equality, thank you for sitting here all day long, she is not even a member of the committee so i really appreciate you being here and i appreciate your voice. Well thank you chairwoman alone any fair holding this hearing in her tremendous work and leadership and also allowing me to us it through this very important hearing. I also want to thank my colleagues from the prochoice caucus, especially the chairs of our task force, i am impressed with such Clear Thinking and passionate leaders arent so many issues since they have been hearing in the house of representatives. First let me just say that throughout their lives quite frankly, let me state a couple statistics, banning access to safe legal abortion its not with the majority of this country wants, according to recent polling, 77 support access to abortion, we know and well see how many of these restrictions disproportionally which we talked about it packed women of color and low income women. Access to the full range of Reproductive Health care should be accessible to all law, and not based on race, income, or zip code. Fighting access to abortion is deeply personal, its hard to talk about this but i remember very clearly the day of black alley abortions, before roe v. Wade. I was it teenager and had to go to mexico for a gut wrenching law abortion, abortions were not safe for legal in my own country, so i refused to stand by and see even one more womans life put in danger because of lack of access to safe and legal abortions. Now many of our republican colleagues here today and the minority winners they want to portray witness women who have had abortions as evil or murderous. I am here today was several of my sisters, several who have a personal hand in abortion, when you say these comments they also say them to me, they say them to you and we are not going to stand for it. Many, i serve on the appropriations committee, let me tell you what i, see many of our republican colleagues oppose these programs, law sex education, oppose Family Planning, oppose contraception, abortions, as they see these budgets zero in our funding for Health Care Programs that would prevent pregnancies, prevents pregnancies. Also i see budget cuts every day to childcare, snap benefits, nutrition, Early Childhood education, everything that would help law families and children in a way that they deserve to be raised. I want to ask you your feedback, maybe miss howell, we know that these programs are disproportionately impacting women of color and how do you see this whole movement now and what we are seeing. I still call it a war on Womens Health because when you look at the comprehensive nature of these cuts and the policies and the restrictions, what else is it . What are we to do as women in this country . I think that one of the things that we have, we have seen over the last couple of years is women taking back their rights and its not just women, its people, its lgbtq people, its trans people, basically standing up and saying we wont allowing this to happen anymore. We saw it in the 2018 election, we saw it when women of color for instance came out and voted to change the house of representatives, voted very strongly and one of those issues that they voted on was hide, eliminating hide and having each woman act. So they were clear about what they were looking for and the rain to make decisions for themselves without political interference and i think that is critical. Thank you musgraves would you like to comment, i want to thank miss box for you being here today and her stories and being so brave in terms given the real deal about what women go through as a result of trying to exercise their Constitutional Rights. I just want to add that it is true that people are outraged and are rising up against the bands that are sweeping this country but this is a dangerous time, it is dangerous to ban abortion, and it is dangerous to have states where people think they cant get carry even though abortion is legal in every state of this country and it is dangerous the rhetoric that we heard in this room today and that we hear outside of this room that demonize is patients, demonize is women, and now goes to the core of who we are as a country. Today has reminded these things are. I want to thank my friend barbara lee for sharing law really one of the most personal and heartbreaking events of her life, she is sharing it not only at this hearing but with the whole world and barbara lee your courage has made us all stronger, thank you and your leadership. I now call on an incredible woman, a newly elected woman to our country congress, she is from the great state of washington, shes a physician and not advocate for science and women across this country, thank you for being here, shes not a member of this committee but she wanted to be here and to speak out and i thank you for being here all day supporting our efforts, thank you. I laugh because i thought you were going to talk about Ayanna Pressley who is a remarkable number of our freshman class. I came here today to talk about these unnecessary restrictions on a womans access to for reproductive care, access to abortion, we have heard about 1 million ways that local governments and State Governments are trying to restrict womens access to a safe and legal medical procedure and every one of these unnecessary ultrasounds, bogus scripts, hallway signs admitting privileges and local hospitals, second pelvic exams event first pelvic exams. And even waiting periods, all of those are unnecessary, they make it harder for women, they especially make it harder for women who are poor, who would have to take additional time off work and travel great distances, these do not stop abortions, if you arent that is youre goal you should be doubling down on funding for planned parenthood and pregnancy prevention, these do not stop abortions they make them later, they delay them or they make them less safe, they are totally inappropriate. Allocate to talk about that and i want to reinforce this is a safe and legal procedure, something that one out of four women has before she is 45 years old, this is common, chances are excellent pretty much 100 percent everybody in this room you know someone who has a abortion it, thats how common it is. So i came to discuss those things but then i heard all kinds of rhetoric, all kinds of rhetoric and as a doctor and thank you all for being here i really feel i need to push back on a lot of miss stockys comments, pseudoscience, total bologna and i dont feel like i could lead those things stand. I mean its everything from not understanding a difference between an embryo and a baby, wedge by the way if she believes they are the same that is a personal philosophical and religious decision, thats on a medical distinction and its not something that congress should be involved in and not something that she should have a say in any other womens decision. But there are other things that she talked about like 20 weeks in pain, unproven, she talked about the gag rule not being a gag rule, it is when a physician cannot mention that one option for her patient is a portion that is a gag rule, and its a dangerous rule because if a woman is diagnosed with pregnancy in Cervical Cancer that abortion would save her life, let became clear. The other thing she mentioned, she painted a happy picture of a 23 year old micro baby, let me tell you what the picture is, its you have a 50 50 shot of survival and you have, if you do survive a very high likelihood of having consequences later down the line, that doesnt mean that i didnt resuscitate those babies and take care of them but it does mean that she is not giving you the full correct picture of a situation. But the most agree just one is this discussion that somehow you could pull a baby out three days before the delivery and call that an abortion we call that an induced delivery, that is the baby pulled out and handinto their mother were taken to the neck you what a doctor like me would take care of them if they are in trouble and distress, if you want to have a conversation about pregnancies and abortions in her and pregnancy lets have an honest discussion about it, about 1 of abortions happen after 21 weeks and none of these are because of a woman just decided one morning i dont want to be pregnant anymore, that does not happen these are all for a reason. Some devastating turn, something devastating has taken a turn in a pregnancy, something has happened here in the health of the mother or the health of the pregnancy and it is so important that congress not get into that discussion, this is a decision between a woman and her god and her doctor and her life and on the she knows how to make the decision and there is absolutely no place for me or anybody in congress to get into that discussion. What do we owe that woman is a little grace in a little trust to make the best decision about her body. I will and there, thank you and i am sorry that you had to put up with such harassment today, thank you for your services. Thank you i now recognize mr. Color. Thank you madam chair, what i want to start with is i heard some testimony during todays hearing about the viability of a pregnancy of being difficult to determine because theyre based on a diagnosis, difference intuition, i will get that to the leader my comments, i want to start out with knowing that and i know that he was just mentioned that some babies have a 50 50 shot of survival, the doctor mentioned that, i want to say, this every life has opportunity and hope and sometimes doctors despite their best efforts to not calculate the appropriate outcome for the dock diagnosis. Ive had a personal experience, when my son freddy was three year old he had an injury resulted in a devastating head industry, he had an accident the doctors thought he was not gonna live, he was put on life support and as we waited and prayed the doctors prognosis was at the mortality weight of children in his condition was not 50 , was not 98 , but we were told was 100 percent. He is not going to live, they even try to convince us to disconnect life support and and his treatment because they did not believe he was going to leave. He was on a event for 28 days, we chose life and we chose hope, and freddy started to recover, aim in then the doctor said that he would have permanent brain damage and would not have a meaningful or a full life. Im happy to say that today freddy has fully recovered, freddys outcome was different law, he graduated from college and now works for the hospital that saved his life, it was a different outcome then the doctors told us. His accident is now a memory but also an opportunity to learn about the value of human life, as this pertains to todays hearing in this country we have countless situations where people determine the value of an unborn human life, abortions are sometimes planned and executed based on diagnoses that have on certain outcomes, sometimes as a result babies are born they are alive and they are killed as part of a plan for an abortion procedure. They should not only shock the kansas but should make the American People sick, i am not asking for an answer and its gonna leave it up to the people that are watching lot, where it is it stop then we have people determining the value of human life, i yield back. Law mr. Color thank you for that moving story about freddy, i think you illustrated something very important to us, doctors can make predictions but theyre not god and they dont know whats going to happen. We have heard a lot of things here today but i could not let this hearing close without saying law that there are many things weve heard that should make a shutter but i believe that what mr. Keller said leads us into what i want to say next but comparing killing a baby to removing wisdom teeth is absolutely beyond the pale. When we have people as mr. Keller asked the question, where is this decision to kill innocent life going to take us in this country . To say it is terminating a pregnancy and as miss stocky said never facing up to what you are really doing is scary to me and i want to say that a lot miss elise said that republicans characterize women who have had an abortion as evil. I have never heard a republican say that, we grieve and i said that at the beginning, we grief for the women who find themselves making that decision, i cannot imagine that its ever easy and i hope that its never easy for anyone to decide to kill her unborn child. I hope and pray thats not easy and i would not characterize a woman whos faced with that decision and makes that decision as evil, thank you madam chair. I thank the gentleman, i yield myself five minutes and this hearing is very important to me and very meaningful because usually when i am attending a hearing on Womens Health care and womens needs i am talking to an all male panel and usually have to ask where are the women . Especially on hearings that affect their wellbeing and their health care, it is personally thrilling and inspiring to me to see a panel made entirely of womens voices in america should listen to womens voices, i want to thank all of the panelists but i particularly want to think you i believe your voice is the most important out of all the important voices that weve heard today because to me you represent every person who has been ashamed and judged for making a deeply personal decision about their own body and health care and for them wanting to access the very best health care that they need to take care of themselves and their families. I just want to ask you, i know it is difficult to testify before congress on anything, especially on something that is so personal how did it feel to hear officials interstate and across the country say hateful, hateful rhetoric about the decision that you are making, your own personal decision, how did it feel . Its insulting and i appreciate representatives fox sympathy for me but i would like to say that my particular region for abortion and feed all diagnosis was sad for our family most women including myself experience relief after having an abortion i have said when i answer the question, our abortion he was the first day we began to hear from the grief of our diagnosis. I have cried a lot of tears about libby but they have all been in grieving my daughter and never about regret for my decision to make a medical decision for her as her parent. I also want to say im sorry i cant say youre name, im really glad that youre salman had a positive outcome and i believe in supporting parents and making the best decisions for their family and their children and that is what my husband and i did for libby. Thank you for sharing your experience, doctor make nicholas you have cared for hundreds of patients in this situation, what impacts have you seen on the patients you care for as these restrictive laws and acted and forced upon them. I think first and foremost the outright confusion people have about whats happening in terms of their access to abortion and reproductive care is really important to lift up, as abortion bans are past, whether they are enacted or not patients automatically think, that means they cant access their abortion. We have done a tremendous amount of work in patients reassurance and make sure that the country knows an abortionist illegal and every single state in this country. What are you most worried about for your patients . I worry that they have the realization, the full realization that the people that are charged with protecting their health have completely abdicated their responsibility based on an ideological viewpoint, i 100 percent of people who dont believe abortion choosing not to have, won but i also think its the right of every other individual make that choice based on their values. I thank you for the courage that all of you have in your work and what you have done for other women and for our country. I want to share that i have within my district to planned parenthood districts, if you go to them at the end of the day when women are getting off from work, women are lined up through the halls of the building, outside to the sidewalk, down the street, into the next block waiting to get basic Health Care Services and planned Parenthood Centers provide primary and Preventive Health care too many who otherwise would have nowhere else to turn for care. Plan i want to point out that 5 of planned Parenthood Centers are in areas where there is a health care shortage, we have heard testimony from medical experts that if planned parenthood is defunded there is no other Health Facility that can address these needs and help these women, i cannot tell you how many women come to my office and tell me that at certain times in their lives the only place i could get health care was planned parenthood. I want to put that on the record that i think it is a scandal that anyone would ever try to define a service that is providing so much hope to people that needed, this has been an important hearing to me and i intend to continue working on this area and helping women received the respect and the health care they deserve, i would now like to call on my good friend Jackie Speier and give her five minutes and thank you, paid for her relentless leadership for women. Thank you mdam chair and thinking to remarkable panel of very persuasive and committed women to the service of other women miss box we you testified earlier i was sitting here and i started to cry because i share the same experience a youve had. I lost a child, a feat is when i was 17 weeks and i told my story on the house floor in part because i sat there and less and to search false information coming from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that it outraged me so much that i said, you have no idea what youre talking about, you have not lived through this kind of experience and law to hear you talk about law libby rosen keep her on your chest shot is just very powerful because it underscores what we all go through when we lose a fetus at late term. It is never buy a choice and i find it so offensive that we continue to have members here and congress think that they can somehow take hold of our bodies and tell us what we can do. So thank you, thank you for your presence here, for your new and fans presence here having the curve yelling of your child law was music to all of our ears and thank you to all of you as well. Im going to share one story though that relates to misery, my daughter went to the university of missouri and graduated there, she had a girlfriend who became pregnant who then drove an hour and a half to st. Louis him to be seen and then was told that she had to weigh three days so she had to drive an hour and a half back and she couldnt get the abortion and three days because there was such a long waiting list. Now this friend of my daughters then finally called her mother lived in another state who is not prochoice jean and her mother came and picked her up and chuck or to another state to get the abortion raw. We cannot force women to have to jump through hoops and travel Long Distances to get the health care that they deserve and that is legal under the law in this country and to see what misery has done with their laws and how difficult they have made it is so repugnant to me and should be repugnant to every woman in this country. Now let me ask you the question that i think about a lot law. When you were required to wager 72 hours ahead receive this counseling, what was the counseling that you received . Well first i want to say thank you for sharing your story with me and im sorry for your loss i know how painful that is i am not a legal expert but i dont really have him, is a counseling . Needed recognize it as counseling. Im sorry, youre right i didnt understand that was considered counseling. What was it . Its a booklet that has, so they can stand process is that i apologize they had to go over this information and they provided me with a booklet that is written by the state that has medically inaccurate information and in an attempt to help me make an informed decision which just doesnt make sense to me. But what i will say is that how it works and missouri currently is that you have toucans and with the provider who will perform the abortion and so i can send in my case slaying, a book like i said earlier i quote the book ashamed both my conversation with the provider, with the doctor said planned parenthood was the most Compassionate Care i have ever received. She took something that was the worst experience of my husband and my life and showed us love and now judgment and council does in all of the options available to us and gave us medically accurate, science based information so that we can make a decision as parents that was informed and full of love. Thank you, thank you again all of you and i yield back. Thank you, thank you so much, i would like to enter into the record a series of letter that the committee has received in recent days from organizations including the American College of obstetricians and gynecologists, really pro action, the Guttmacher Institute and the American Civil Liberties institute. These letters expressed grave concerns for the impact of Abortion Access are having on the health, economic wellbeing of the women of america and their families. I ask unanimous consent that these letters be entered into the official hearing record and i so order. Id like now to think our incredible witnesses for testifying and for their lifes work and without objection all members will have five legislative days within which to submit additional written questions for the witnesses to the chair which will be afforded to the witnesses for their response. I asked the witnesses to please respond as promptly as possible and this hearing is now before i concluded this hearing i would like to bank the powerful women of this committee, especially miss speier, miss pressley, miss kelly, miss cortez, for this leadership and for and encouraging the committee to examine it. I would also like to think congresswoman duty to, congresswoman gantry cow ski, congresswoman Barbara Lee Ed cardinal sermon camp schrayer for joining us this afternoon and for their tireless work to preserve access to abortion and Reproductive Health care for women across this nation. I would also like to think lacy clay who has worked with me on this hearing and for his leadership on this issue. This hearing is adjourned but we are going to continue on this issue, thank you. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] test. Marijuana policy projects