World. Good afternoon to all of you. [laughter] thank you all for being here. And we have a number of senators who will be joining us. Senator schumer will be here, as well as a number of other people, but we are going to go ahead and get started today because this is a critical issue because this week republicans put out their true position on abortion. A national ban and punishing doctors. For months, they have been posturing and hiding their extreme views and ignoring the health care crises that they are causing. But republicans cant pretend they just want to leave abortion to states and then block senator cortez masterss bill that would make sure people can travel to other states for an abortion. They cant say they dont want to punish doctors and meanwhile block my bill to make sure doctors in states where abortion is legal can be punished for doing their jobs. But if there is any doubt about republicans true intentions about their extreme abortion plans, there is no question after this week. Their plan is plain as day. Republicans want to ban abortion in every single state, and they want to punish doctors. Were you part of the overwhelming vote in kansas to protect abortion . Were you one of hundreds of thousands of people in michigan who signed a petition for a referendum to protect abortion . Or are you one of my constituents in washington state, where we have strong abortion protections, or any other blue state . Well, now republicans have told you where they are at. They are coming after your rights. Does your doctor provide abortion care for patients who need it . Republicans want to punish them. Their national ban includes a criminal penalty for doctors for up to five years of prison. That is the maga agenda. That is the bill that was introduced this week. That is what senator graham promised they would vote on if they take the house and senate. And he predicted it could become law. He said loud and clear, this ban is what we are trying to publish at the federal level. He claimed he is going to, and i quote, rally the public nationally. Well, ive got some news for senator graham. Democrats are already talking about this issue all across the country, and the nation is already rallying for, for the right to an abortion, and against these republican harmful attacks. Women want to control their own bodies. They do not want politicians making their Health Care Decisions. So if republicans think they can go after my constituents rights, go after womens bodies and their futures, and overrule the personal medical decisions of people across the country, theyve got another thing coming. Im not going to stop pushing back. Democrats are not going to stop pushing back. And by the way, neither are men and women across this country. They see it, they know it, they will be voting. With that, im going to turn it over to senator amy klobuchar, who has been an amazing champion in this fight. Sen. Klobuchar thank you for very much, senator murray, for your incredible leadership for a really, really long time. I was remembering back in the Barbara Mikulski days, liking the height level of this group until that guy arrived. [laughter] this was so good. I felt so tall. But i was remembering Barbara Mikulski when she used to stand on that couch and say suit up, square your shoulders, put your lipstick on, and get ready for the revolution. I never really knew what she was even talking about, but i think we know now that the women of this country have had it and the men that stand with them have had it. Two and a half month ago, the Supreme Court issued a ruling shredding nearly five decades of precedent, just like that. Now, women are at the mercy of state laws across the country and basically this ruling, and the republican senators have said, women, it is not your choice over your health care. It is politicians choice. This bill that was introduced will take these restrictions even a step further, because right now states like mine that are kind of an island of health care in the middle of the country where, say, the north Dakota Clinic in fargo has now moved over based on gofundme funding that they were able to raise online have moved over to minnesota in morehead, the rules there would change. We would no longer have the right of our state to make a decision under this law because a ban would be put in place. Make no mistake, because i think this was done in a way that was confusing, the states that have much stricter rules, which is so many of them, with 12 with no exceptions for rape or incest, dangerous, dangerous plans that are out there. We saw the story of the young 10yearold in ohio who had actually after being raped had to go to another state. Those states that have those laws in place, they still stand. Basically under this law, bill, it would take all the states to 16 weeks, but then allow the states to have what they already have in place. And as senator murray mentioned, this is not what the American People want. 78 of americans believe this is a decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor. As we have seen already across the country, the Sunflower State of kansas, over 500,000 people showing up to vote on the side of a womans right to make her own Health Care Decisions. That is more than showed up overall in its entirety in the last midterm. The race that was one in the that was won in the house race in the hudson valley, what we saw happen in alaska. This should be a wakeup call. And what is the response instead . Double down. Double down and put forward a bill for a ban. A band. It is now more clear than ever that we must codify roe v wade into law. There is incredibly thank you. The tall guy . Rex know you. [laughter] collects so many of us have been on this side of elements to truths and abortion rights for decades. If you add up all the years of all of us fighting that battle, this battle is going to be over 100 years i would say. Im glad glad to join my colleagues and pointing out the issue was never about states rights. Its all about controlling decisions to make about her own body. When a woman cannot make decisions about her own body and abortion this affects her family, her community, and our economy. So, as i mention the vast majority of americans support elements right to bodily autonomy but apparently republicans dont think so. We have the senior senator from South Carolina saying he has proposed a 15 Week National ban why 15 weeks . Because that something he is comfortable with. Something he is comfortable with. Amazing. This is not some sort of hypothetical debate. Republicans take control over the senate they are going to push for a national band. That means states like hawaii, which was the first state in the nation to protect a womans right to choose. We support abortion before roe was decided. All other states that come forward already have in place basically codifying roe under the national ban bill would fall by the wayside. And note a lot of the very people who talk about requiring people to wear masks that is interfering with their personal freedom. But they think nothing of forcing women to have babies. So, asking someone to wear a mask oh my goodness that is just too much. But forcing a woman to have a baby, not a problem. Talk about government overreach. Talk about hypocrisy. Im short and wide. [laughter] i everyone. If i listen hard enough and maybe you can, i got almost to the echoes that of many, many of my republican colleagues claiming, insisting that the Supreme Court overturned a row they would never, never push for nationwide abortion ban. You can almost hear it. We used to believe them and then i have a bridge to sell you. Nodding from new york. You must be paying attention. Legislation by senator graham and senator rubio makes ally of the statement. This proposal makes obvious republicans never really wanted to leave womens rights to the states like they have long told the American People. While democrats spent the summer helping working families keep more of their hard earned money republicans spent there is trying to strip away millions of americans rights and effectively making 50 of america secondclass citizens who do not have the right to decide but happens their own bodies. Frankly i refuse to let my daughters grow up in a world with fewer rights than i had. It is not just me. I spent the summer talking to folks all across illinois. Let me remind you illinois six blue counties and 96 red ones but all across illinois time and again i talked to mothers and said let me explain to you with this abortion ban does. And let me tell you what illinois facing with people coming from as far away as texas in order to come to illinois to get the healthcare they deserve, that they need. Let me tell you what it means for your daughters who choose to go to school in one of the Southern States . They are not going to have access to their own Reproductive Healthcare decisionmaking. It is those women as well ive never voted on abortion before. Its something i support and i am concerned about. I am voting on abortion this type of these are women on both sides of the aisle. Its often independent women open it very supportive of the right to choice but if never voted on. But me tell you, like in kansas they are voting on it now. I refuse that my constituents walk into their ob appointments and have to be haunted by the voice of marco rubio telling them what they can and cannot do with their bodies. I would hate to force any woman fearful Lindsey Graham effectively has more control over her medical decisions than she or her doctors. Im going to promise you all here today, ill say it until i can no longer have a voice, im going to keep doing everything in my power to prevent this nation ban on basic healthcare band exclusively goes against the vast majority of americans want from happening. Our country deserves better than that. My girls need to go up in a country where their decisionmaking is just as a valued as everyone else with these abortion bands tells their secondclass citizens i refuse to let that happen. Thank you. My colleagues seem to have promoted me. Im barely a household word in my own household. Now my colleagues say i am just a tall guy. [laughter] i got a promotion. All three of my colleagues have said it very well. We are so proud and the northwest of senator murrays leadership is not just something i do a lot of Technology Work ive been particularly concerned to weaponize against them. And three cheers for senator sharon oh for our caucus is leading the data. I choose to be one of her wingmen. Heres what i think about a minute. Senator graham is trying to crush the rights of millions of american women to secure an ideological triumph what we are all trying to make sense out of two small government. And now we are talking about a federal ban, federal and national ban. Nothing small about that. The belt tramples on the rights the oregonians who certainly do not share senator grahams view on the rights on this. Millions of other women. This is done dimensionally and senator graham has really highlighted it. This is an issue about who was in control. When you have gone through all of the other debating points, that is what this comes down too. Is it going to be policies that senator graham defines . Or is it going to be swimming having control over their own bodies . And now senator murray and all of my colleagues have said, we know what they want. They want a National Federal ban. I assume if they were to get that they will start criminalization. Weve already seen what theyre saying about doctors. I just want everybody to know i am all and senator murray on this. We are thrilled you are leading the fight to break not just the northwest but for our country. I will be pleased to be tall guy in this effort. In this cause to make sure the rights of women are protected. We have witnessed over the past several months of full out assault on women. On the reproductive freedoms, on the basic civil rights and Civil Liberties to make decisions that are life and death decisions to them. Undermining the right to travel. Undermining the right to privacy. To be able to have communications with their mothers on facebook. To be able to talk to their doctors. To be able to access a lifesaving care. It is unconscionable to me that senator graham now believes this should be a federal law. That he believes now it states rights no longer need to weigh in our minds. He needs to have federal ban across the board. He wants to codify the Supreme Courts decision that women, for 40 years of their lives, their entire reproductive right have no right to privacy thats what he wants to codify. No woman in america for 40 years of her life has a fundamental right to privacy. Is a fundamental rights that allow her to make intimate decisions about when she is having children, under what circumstances she is having children with home she has having children. That is what is so unconscionable about senator grahams bill. He wants us to be a law of the land regardless of where you live. Their own constitution to protect rights to privacy and basic Civil Liberties. This is more than political. It is more than ideological. It is basically the imposition of theocracy in the united states. That is what it is a prince taking one religious viewpoint, one and imposing it on the entire nation. And, if you listen to Clarence Thomas he wants it expanded. He wants to eliminate all the rights and privileges under the right to privacy. He wants to eliminate the right to contraceptive. The right to privacy in the bed and. The rights lgbt to quality and marriage. He is taking this country back over 50 years. He is taking this country back to a time when women did not have full equality. He wants to deny right to privacy to half of the u. S. Population. This should be blocked in every way possible. It should be called out for what it is, an attack on women. An attack on her bodily autonomy. An attack on our sovereignty as human beings. It is unconscionable. It is wrong and we have to defeat it. Click senator schumer i am happy to take any questions. He is adamantly a huge force behind us all as we do this on our side. I supported the principal in this country for 50 years. And that is the row decision which was rejected by the Supreme Court and now put our country into chaos. Would democrats be able too. [inaudible] what are you talking about . Regards to senator graham. We want to put in law protections for every woman in this country. No matter where they live or how much money they make, or where they come from the ability to make their own Health Care Decisions as they have under row as is under turned over this court. When you think about rep republicans. [inaudible] he can debate weeks, countries come everything else. I know what my constituents want her note that women and men of america want and vast numbers. That is the ability to make their own Health Care Decisions depending upon what they need. Im not in their doctor with them neither should any other politician b. Should be their decision and thats it we support. One last question. Reporter you and others have referred to this bill as. [inaudible] most people think. [inaudible] mcconnell said similar things that break what i can tell you is last time Lindsey Graham introduced a bill like this, 48 republicans cosponsored it. So i know everybody is worried about an election for their seeing what we are seeing is women and men standing up in this country and saying no you cannot. And now they are running from it. I have also been in so many rooms for so many years where the last issue that republicans put in our face before they allow a budget to go forward, before they would allow the postal reform bill to go forward. Before they would even allow Ukrainian Support to go forward. They had to put on us a question of whether they could put it in the abortion language. These are people that are not going to give up. I watch Supreme Court nominees they believed in precedent, look what happened were going to fight back with everything i have. I really ask everyone in this country to stand up, be loud. That this country know where we are going to stand, thank you. Thanks, good job. I can do my own