First kind in americas history that the Supreme Court has revoked a constitutionally protected right. The first time. As a result, a womans personal decision to make her own Reproductive Health care choice is no longer protected or guaranteed by the constitution. In the words of justice kagan, sotomayor, the conservative majority has consigned women to secondclass citizenship. In overturning roe, the Supreme Court has a least a healthcare crisis across america. Make no mistake Womens Health and in some cases, their lives, are at risk. Today, the committee will examine the very real consequences of the unprecedented decision. We start with a video. [video] the Supreme Court has overturned roe v. Wade. Pregnancy laws can land people in prison. Pregnant people being criminalized for pregnancy outcomes. Data collected from fertility apps and Google Searches could be used to prosecute abortion. Black women and women of color are disproportionately criminalized. Some of the bans do have civil and criminal penalties in terms of how they will be applied. Every time a woman gets abortions, women who are younger, women who are old, women of all races, women who never thought that they would be seeking an abortion. If im not mature enough to make a decision to have a child, im definitely not mature enough to have one. If i have another highrisk pregnancy that puts my own life at risk . I do want another baby. And now i am scared to. I no longer have those rights. It is an effort to punish women, an effort to turn neighbors into bounty hunters of sorts. We end up having more abortions because of a lack of access to Reproductive Health including contraception. This law is not just about abortion, it is about Reproductive Health. Women are going to die as a result of this. They are worried about breaking the law and going to jail and women will suffer and they will die. Since the decision, at least 10 states have banned abortion. The bans include refusing exceptions for the life of the mother, and many do not even provide exceptions for rape or incest. So what exactly do these efforts mean in the real world . They mean that a woman facing complications in pregnancy could die waiting in the hallway of a hospital because a doctor must weigh the risk of jail time against making the best decision for the health of the patient. And organizations that help someone travel to a state like illinois may face legal liability. Consider a letter sent to the simply Austin Law Firm last week by a group of conservative texas lawmakers. Which threatened to impose additional civil and criminal sanctions upon law firms that pay for abortions or abortion travel. Some republican lawmakers have even sought to punish women seeking abortions. In louisiana, republican legislators sought to advance a bill that would have subjected women who terminate pregnancy to charges of criminal homicide. It is a majority opinion that Justice Alito claims by overturning roe and casey, the court was simply returning the power to decide how abortion may be regulated to the states. But that raises many questions with no answers. Leading Health Care Providers and patients to navigate new restrictions that will likely face further constitutional damage. For example, in his concurring opinion, Justice Kavanaugh insists that a state cannot infringe on the Court Constitutional right to interstate travel. Well, it seems some state republican lawmakers didnt get the message. They are proposing bills that will turn the state borders into checkpoint terminals for patients seeking abortions. In a post roe america, it is now abortion rights that are in peril. Every constitutional right is under threat. That is not my conclusion, it is Justice Clarence thomasconclusion. Your constitutional right to privacy could be next. Justice thomas declared that the court should eliminate the constitutional right to birth control, Marriage Equality and consensual relationships between lgbtq people. This radical reversal for america comes in the aftermath of republican leader mcconnells blocking president obamas right to file Supreme Court vacancy. President donald trump pledged to appoint nominees that would overturn roe v. Wade. That with the box each one of them had to check before they could appear before this committee. Today, three and four americans say they have lost faith in the Supreme Court. It is easy to see why. Families are living in fear that some of their most cherished rights are now on the conservative chopping block. So what do we do to protect these rights . What do we do to defend women who have already had their rights revoked . Under republican control, they would pose a federal ban on abortion. Democrats have a different plan. Protect your rights with a federal statutory right to an abortion. In fact, that is exactly what the vast majority of americans support. Keeping access to abortion legal. A womans choice to get an abortion is her choice alone. Politicians have no business sitting in the waiting room with the doctor. With that, i will turn to Ranking Member grassley for his opening statement. Thank you, mr. Chairman. This is a very important hearing. I cast my first vote february, 1972 as a member of the iowa house of representatives. There was a motion before the house to repeal iowas ban on abortion. I was one of 44 people in a 4444 vote that voted not to repeal that dale, and obviously its it didnt happen. Next year, we had roe v. Wade and there was never an issue in the Iowa Legislature until potentially it could be now as a result of the overturn. We are here today because the Supreme Court has corrected a wrong that has impacted millions of lives since 1973. We are here because the Supreme Court, in a meticulous and wellreasoned opinion returned the decision of abortions back to the states. For many americans, this decision is about far more than correcting a flawed legal analysis. It means protecting the rights of the unborn. This ruling doesnt ban the practice of abortion, but instead empowers the people to their account and relet elected representatives to make commonsense policy decisions. It takes policy out of the hands of unelected judges. I understand with a decision of this magnitude comes differences of opinion, and robust debate on the next steps. That is ok, and i welcome that. We live in a democracy, and with differences of opinion and passion for policies, all that followed by thoughtful debate can lead us to the best outcomes for the American People. However, the treatment of Supreme Court justices, Pregnancy Centers, and conservative women has been outrageous since the decision was leaked. Remember this. Eight out of 10 americans do not support abortion on demand right up to the time of birth. First, regardless of views on this issue, we should all respect the rule of the impartial judiciary and the decisions that it renders. Seeking to intimidate or attack the board or undermined its credibility because of an outcome that you dont agree with his dangerous, and that is not an answer. Justices have had their addresses published online, have been subjected to illegal pressure campaigns, and one justice was even the victim of an attempted assassination. I called on the Justice Department to enforce the law and protect the justices and their families from these very real threats. The lack of a response from both the Justice Department and the white house is extremely, extremely disappointing. Along with the threats against the justices, threats against prolife and Crisis Pregnancy Centers have dramatically increased since the leak of the decision by proabortion extremists. There have been at least 40 Violent Attacks on Crisis Pregnancy Centers, religious institutions, and other prolife entities since the leak and before the court even issued its final opinion. The first pictures i have with me is a Crisis Pregnancy Center in North Carolina that was vandalized with proabortion and pront five graffiti. That is in the corner, the nt for sign. Another woman in oregon was set on fire, causing significant damage as you can see behind me. I pray for these centers and the thousands of patients they serve every day. I encourage all of my colleagues as well as myself to condemn the violence and vandalism. I want to ensure that these Violent Attacks are recognized by the fbi and are being properly investigated for what they are cases of abortionrelated violent extremism. Let me be clear very clear. Threats and violence are not the answer. I also want to bring your attention to the Incredible Group of women that we have here with us today. We know women have been the center of the prolife movement, and tirelessly advocating for the lives of the unborn and the wellbeing of mothers everywhere. I would like to introduce to you a few of these women in addition to our witnesses who i will introduce any moment. We have here witnessed today dr. Christine francis. She is an ob gyn in indiana. She chaired the board of the American Association of obstetricians and gynecologists and a board member of the indiana right to life. Dr. Francis spent time working in romania and burma and working for three years as the only ob gyn at a Major Hospital in rural kenya. She has dedicated her life professionally and personally to protecting the lives of the unborn and educating people on the dangers of the abortion industry. We are also fortunate to have someone like her in the practice of medicine. Also, Catherine Glenn foster with us, who has in the past been a witness before this committee. She serves as a resident ceo of the americans united for life. She shared her story of having an abortion at 19 due to the extreme psychological break she faced. She felt alone after her decision. I am sorry for the loss that you experienced, catherine, and i hope that we can do better to give young women the love and support that they deserve, no matter what. The executive director of the capitol hill Pregnancy Center just down the road from us a short way provides Preventative Care as well as complete, Accurate Information pertaining to pregnancy and pregnancy options. The two also have dealt with vandalism but they continue to provide services such as counseling in childbirth, and parenting classes. Thank you for the work that the center does to serve those in the d. C. Area who need support the most. I also want to thank representatives of the Incredible Groups that we have here today, march for life, susan b. Anthony, women of america. Family research consults, to name a few. They also do incredible work advocating for the lives of the unborn and for that, i thank you. Lets have a productive discussion today on how we can best support women and families Going Forward. As i said before, threatening justins is justices, Pregnancy Centers and churches is not the answer. I hope the extreme rhetoric that gives rise to this violence will not be a of the conversation today. I would like to request to enter into the record the statements from the American Association of polling. Thank you. Without objection, let me start our positive and bipartisan statement. Time and again, i have stated Political Violence of any kind is unacceptable. No matter who commits it, no matter what. I condemn all violence and threats of violence in the strongest possible terms, whether it be targets of Pregnancy Counseling Centers or Abortion Clinics. Violence is never an appropriate form of protest. This committee has passed legislation that will protect our judges, and i am glad we did. Im sorry to say that one of the most important acts, which would give the Supreme Court greater discretion in protecting the justices and their families among other conditions to protect judges has been held up on the floor and i can say the Person Holding it up is a jr. Republican senator from kentucky. I think it is a serious mistake. Lives are at risk, as we fail to put this into law and to give even more resources to the judiciary to protect their members. Today, we welcome five witnesses and i thank them for joining us. I will briefly introduce the democratic witnesses then turned to senator grassley. The first witness is Lieutenant Governor julian stratton, the 48 Lieutenant Governor in the history of our state. She previously served as a member of the house of representatives and i am grateful for her traveling here. Professor bridges, a professor of law at the university of California Berkeley School of law. I also want to thank professor bridges who is here celebrating her birthday, soy understand she is in the audience, and we all come her. Dr. Is an ob gyn and chief medical officer of planned parenthood in missouri. Thank you for joining us today. Let me turn to senator grassley for his introductions. My first person is denise harley, senior counsel defending freedom and director of the center of life. She leads her Team Litigation and advocacy effort to defend prolife legislation around the country. She also works with prolife allies on behalf of her organization and works to defend the First Amendment freedoms of Prolife Health care professionals at resource centers. She took the primary role she took that primary role in a drafting the briefs to the u. S. Supreme court. And i fell a forces becerra. Resulting in a free speech victory for california prolife Pregnancy Centers. We welcome you. Next, we have heidi matzke. Miss matzke is the director of the alternative Pregnancy Center, and has worked with them for seven years. The center is a nonprofit prolife womens medical planning, which seeks to address the holistic aspect of an unplanned pregnancy, including the dramatic, emotional, material, and spiritual needs of the mother. These services are free through the clinic. The Center Provides pregnancy test, ultrasounds, Abortion Pill reversals, as to the testing and treatment, prenatal care, gynecological care, abortion recovery classes, and contraceptive education. Prior to working at the center, miss matzke worked for the center of kristen financial strategies. We welcome you all here. Thank. You let me each of the witnesses will be given five minutes for an opening statement, then members will be recognized in order for five minutes of questioning. Before we proceed, though i asked the witnesses to please stand and let it raise the right hand for the administrative oath. You affirm the testimony you are about to give before the committee is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god. Let the record reflect that all five witnesses answered in the affirmative. Now, for opening statements, i first recognized Lieutenant Governor stratton. Please proceed. Good morning. Thank, you chairman dermot. Ranking member grassley, and the distinguished members of the Senate Judiciary committee. For the opportunity to testify today. I am juliana stratton, Lieutenant Governor of the great state of illinois, and i use she her pronouns. Since coming into office, Governor Pritzker and i have been focused on the health, safety, and access to opportunities for all women of illinois, of all backgrounds and ages. And, one way that weve worked to make that a reality is by preserving and protecting legal abortion in illinois. In 2019, Governor Pritzker signed the Reproductive Health care act, which enshrined reproductive rights into state law, repealed outdated laws criminalizing abortion, and requires private Health Insurance plans to cover abortion as the vital Reproductive Health procedure that it is. We made a vow that our state will be a beacon of hope for all. This was a promise that we made it to the people of illinois, and i come before you today because people throughout the entire midwest are relying on our commitment to protect and preserve womens rights, namely the right to an abortion. It is no secret that illinois stands out as one of the only states in the u. S. Heartland wh