Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, people were scared. They feared for the future of their rights and ability to make deeply personal decisions about their own bodies. I have heard from many people who are concerned that their children and grandchildren might grow up with less rights than they had.

In August 2022, Kansans made their voices overwhelmingly clear: Politics and politicians have no place in the middle of healthcare decisions. Those decisions are between a person and their doctor alone.

However, despite the resounding messages delivered by Kansans and other States, extremists persist in their relentless effort to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to choose.

Sadly, that is where we find ourselves today, where certain Members of this body are attempting to push legislation that would directly limit access to the full range of reproductive care.

This bill blatantly misleads the American people, diverting funds meant for food, rent, and childcare to certain harmful facilities that purposely provide disinformation to people seeking access to care. I won't stand for it, and neither will Kansans.

We should be expanding access to healthcare, including reproductive healthcare, rather than masking misinformation behind dishonest policies that actually endanger a person's health. Even further, we should be upfront with the American people. Isn't that the bare minimum?

Let me be clear: The right to choose is fundamental. Working to strip that right should never be a priority, especially days before a possible government shutdown that would have devastating impacts on hardworking families.

Mr. Speaker, I implore my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to stand with me in delivering a powerful message, one that the American people absolutely need to hear: Your ability to decide what is best for you, your body, your family, and your future is inherently your choice, now and always.

For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment that would ensure that taxpayer dollars cannot be allocated to pregnancy centers that provide medically inaccurate information and put the health of a woman at risk.

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Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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