September 15, 2022

Duckworth Blasts Republican Proposal to Ban Abortions Nationwide

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and her colleagues for a press conference condemning the new Republican proposal to establish a nationwide abortion ban. Video of the Senator’s remarks can be found here.

Key quotes:

This proposal makes obvious that Republicans never really wanted to leave women's rights to the states like they have long told the American people.

And while Democrats spent this summer helping working families keep more of their hard-earned money, Republicans spent theirs trying to strip away millions of Americans’ rights and effectively making 50% of America second-class citizens who do not have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies.

I'm going to keep doing everything I can in my power to prevent this nationwide ban on basic healthcare—a ban that explicitly goes against what the vast majority of Americans want—from happening.

Duckworth’s full remarks as delivered are below:

Hi, everyone.

You know, if I listen hard enough, and maybe you can as well, I can almost hear the echoes of many, many of my Republican colleagues claiming—insisting—that if the Supreme Court overturns Roe, they would still never, never push for a nationwide abortion ban. You could almost hear it.

Well, if you still believe them, then I have a bridge to sell you—and I'm not even from New York—because you must not be paying attention.

You have to see that the legislation that folks like Senator Graham and Senator Rubio are almost gleefully pushing forward makes a lie of those previous statements.

This proposal makes obvious that Republicans never really wanted to leave women's rights to the states like they have long told the American people.

And while Democrats spent this summer helping working families keep more of their hard-earned money, Republicans spent theirs trying to strip away millions of Americans’ rights and effectively making 50% of America second-class citizens who do not have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies.

And frankly, I refuse to let my daughters grew up in a world with fewer rights than I had.

And it's not just me, I spent the summer talking to folks all across Illinois.

And let me just remind you, Illinois is six blue counties and 96 red ones.

And all across Illinois, time and again, I talked to mothers, and I said, “Let me explain to you what this abortion ban does.”

And let me tell you what Illinois is facing with people coming from as far away as Texas in order to come to Illinois to get the healthcare that they deserve—that they need.

Let me tell you what it means for your daughters who choose to go to school in one of these southern states: they're not going to have access to their own reproductive healthcare decision-making.

And so, it is those women as well who have said, “You know what, I've never voted on abortion before. It's been something that I support, and something I'm concerned about, but I'm voting on abortion this time.”

And these are women on both sides of the aisle. In fact, it is often those independent women who have been very supportive of the right to choice, but have never voted on it. Let me tell you, like in Kansas, they’re voting on it now.

I refuse to let 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 refuse to force any woman to have to live her life fearful that Lindsey Graham effectively has more control over her medical decisions than she or her doctors.

So, I'm going to promise you all here today, and I will say it until I no longer have a voice. I'm going to keep doing everything I can in my power to prevent this nationwide ban on basic healthcare—a ban that explicitly goes against what the vast majority of Americans want—from happening.

Our country deserves better than that.

And you know, my girls need to grow up in a country where their decision making is just as valued and just as trusted as everyone else. And these abortion bans tell them that they are second class citizens and I refuse to let that happen.

Thank you.

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