Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher: Good morning. Thank you all for being here today. My beloved home state of Texas is in a crisis, as are states across the country where access to abortion has been effectively or altogether eliminated for a year and a half now. People in Texas who are able to do so have been traveling to other states to obtain abortion care. And now that 15 other states have banned abortion, more people are traveling even further to get the health care that they need. In response to this right, this exercise of our constitutional right to travel, lawmakers and others in Texas and in states across the country are threatening to take away that right, too. We are all here today to say we are not going to let that happen in any state in the United States of America. Today, we reintroduce the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, a bill I am glad to lead and introduced today with my colleagues, Representative Marilyn Strickland and Representative Jamie Raskin, and more than 150 original co-sponsors of this bill. I'm glad to be joined this morning by so many committed colleagues and including the leaders of our Pro-Choice Caucus, who you will hear from shortly from NARAL President Mini Timmaraju, Planned Parenthood Federation of America Senior Vice President Jacqueline Ayres and so many other wonderful leaders who are dedicated to expanding reproductive freedom and reproductive justice. I also want to thank the Center for Reproductive Rights, the National Partnership for Women and Families, the National Women's Law Center, the Power to Decide, Physicians for Reproductive Health, the National Council of Jewish Women, and Urge for all that they do and for their support of this bill. And of course, I want to thank those who are providing this care to the people who need it. This is a crucial bill. Last summer, a group of lawmakers in Texas publicized a letter that they sent to at least one law firm in Texas, threatening the firm and each of its partners with felony criminal prosecution and disbarment because of the firm's policy of reimbursing its employees for their travel expenses associated with traveling for out-of-state abortion. Last month, lawmakers in Texas introduced legislation to punish companies that include abortion coverage in their health care plans or provide sick leave to employees in connection with abortion care. These threats fail not only to reflect the will of the majority of people in this country who favor a legislative framework that takes into consideration these circumstances and prefers that people, not politicians, make these decisions. But these threads also fail to reflect the fundamental rights of Americans granted in our Constitution. Congress has both the authority and the responsibility to protect people from these unconstitutional efforts to prevent, restrict, impede or otherwise punish a person traveling to another state to obtain a legal abortion and to protect the health care providers and those who assist that person. This morning, we are doing exactly that by re-introducing the insuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, which passed the House in the last Congress. This is a vital part of our work to protect the health, privacy, liberty and dignity of women and families across this country. And so I'm glad to be here this morning with the leaders in this fight. And we will hear from them next. Starting with my co-lead on this bill, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland.

Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland: Thank you, Lizzie. I proudly stand here today as a original co-sponsor of these ensuring women's rights, access to reproductive freedom. And this is important for many reasons. The ability to travel from state to state is a constitutionally protected right that we have. And we also know that access to abortion care and reproductive health care disproportionately affects women of color. Women who are living in poverty and people who are underserved. We want to make sure that the ability to get access to safe and legal abortion is available for all people, regardless of your background. And the ability to travel is definitely part of that.  The other thing I want to mention to and remind folks of the ability to have an abortion. The right to make that choice is a private medical decision between a doctor and the person who may be having a child. Again, it's a private medical decision. And we, as elected officials, should not be interfering with that. It's a freedom. It's a right. It's about economic justice. It's about family planning. And it's often about safety for the person who may be carrying a child. So I'm very honored to be here today with this esteemed group of pro-choice advocates. My colleagues. And now I want to introduce one of the co-chairs of the Pro-Choice caucus, Diana DeGette.

Congresswoman Diana DeGette: Thank you so much, Marilyn. And thanks to also to Lizzie and Jamie Raskin for leading this effort. It really seems kind of unbelievable that in 2023 we should be arguing about whether states can restrict people from traveling across state lines to get a medical procedure. Because one of the fundamental tenets of our country is the freedom of travel. And states can't just decide they don't like something. And so they're going to stop citizens from traveling.  Now, I've got to say something. Well, first of all, let me say before Roe was was overturned by the Supreme Court, one in ten people traveled to get the medical services that they need. And before Roe fell, only 1000 out of state patients had to travel to my state of Colorado to access the care that they needed. But in 2022, after most of the bordering states to Colorado restricted the right of abortion, we had over 3600 people coming just to Colorado to seek the medical care they need. And many of them came from Texas and other states. And so, you know, it's wrong to begin with that people should have to travel. It costs hundreds of miles. People have to take off work if they can or they might lose their jobs. They have to pay for transportation. They have to pay for lodging. And so we're not going to let this happen without a fight. Now, I want to say something. Ever since the first week of this session of Congress, where our Republican colleagues were doubling down on trying to restrict people's ability to make their own decisions about their health care, they have grown strangely silent. And the reason why they're strangely silent is because they know the majority of Americans believe that abortion care should be decided by a person and their doctor and not by politicians in Washington. But simply because my colleagues don't want to talk about it doesn't mean that states like Texas aren't trying to impose extreme restrictions on people's ability to get their health care. And so we, the pro-choice caucus and all of our members are going to continue to talk about this every day, every week until we codify Roe versus Wade. And until we make sure everybody can get the health care services that they need. And so that so you can hear from us a lot because just because there of the radio silence does not mean that these terrible restrictions aren't happening and that thousands of people are being hurt in their medical decisions. But that I'm so happy to be here. And I'm looking for Barbara Lee, but she's not here yet. And so I'm going to introduce another warrior for choice, and that's Congresswoman Judy Chu.

Congresswoman Judy Chu: I'm Congressmember Judy Chu. I'm the author of the Women's Health Protection Act, which would restore the protections of Roe versus Wade for every woman in this country. But since the Dobbs decision, what is essential to protecting women's right to an abortion is the right to travel. And I want to thank my colleagues, Representatives Fletcher and Stricklin for reintroducing the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. And, of course, I'd like to acknowledge the incredible leadership of our pro-choice caucus co-chair, Diana DeGette.  This week, I heard from Planned Parenthood providers from my district in Southern California who told me that their out-of-state patient population had tripled since Texas passed its draconian bounty hunter law last year. SB 8. And one of our providers who traveled to Kansas to help provide care for patients there told me of seeing patient after patient coming in from Texas, from Missouri, from Nebraska desperate to get care. These women drove seven, ten or even 14 hours with many planning to turn just right around and drive home because they could not afford to miss work the next day. As we know, an extremist Supreme Court ended the protections of Roe versus Wade last year. Women today in America have fewer rights than 50 years ago. But far right lawmakers aren't done. State legislators beyond Texas are considering laws this year to target and penalize residents who cross state lines for abortion care. And Republicans in Congress are pushing for a national ban on abortion and even limits to birth control. This is not a free America, but it is our reality. After the Dobbs decision, we must enshrine abortion rights into our federal laws. But from recent history, we know the attacks won't stop there. And that's why we must also enshrine the right to travel freely to another state to seek medical care under federal law. I thank my colleagues for introducing this very critical bill today, and I call on my Republican colleagues to join us in ensuring that women across the country are not further relegated to second class citizenship. And now I'd like to introduce someone I call my cellmate because we got arrested together for abortion rights in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. And that is the president of NARAL Mini Timmaraju. 

Mini Timmaraju: All right. Always awesome to roll with Judy Chu. I'm so honored to be here. Not only as the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America representing our 4 million members, but as a Texan from Houston, Lizzie Flecther would’ve been my congresswoman if I still lived there. But also, I'm currently a constituent of Jamie Raskin, so I feel a lot of special affection for these folks. And I'm just so proud of the work of Marilyn Strickland and her team and all of these incredible pro-choice caucus leaders and members. Look, we are in a crisis. We are in a public health emergency. We are in a civil rights civil liberties emergency. Our very freedoms are at threat. And these members of Congress, the pro-choice caucus of the Democratic leadership of this House, have really stepped up with creative, innovative solutions. Look, since SB 8 pre-Dobbs, let's be clear, Texans have been in crisis and more and more American pregnant people and women in states where there are bans and further restrictions being enacted daily are in crisis. You know, one out of ten of one out of ten American women lives in Texas. So let that sink in. And that's the state with the most egregious aggressive laws trying to prevent folks from leaving the state. The GOP extremists blocking access to care in these states. Don't underestimate them. We have to believe them when they say what they're going to do. We didn't take them seriously enough. I mean, we did, but the folks here did. But a lot of our colleagues did not. And a lot of folks were surprised by Dobbs. We weren't surprised. And I'm not going to be surprised if more states enact more restrictions. That's why what these members of Congress were doing is so critical. So reserving our rights in our care. Democrats are working overtime to undo extremist GOP radical legislation. And look, I hope more GOP members join these members. But last year, only three House Republicans joined them in supporting this legislation. So I encourage you, members of the press, to ask every single member of the House GOP where they stand on the fundamental freedom of someone to leave their state for abortion care and not be arrested, for someone to drive a member of their family or friends to another state for care and not be arrested, for a provider to provide that care in another state and not be prosecuted and arrested. Those fundamental freedoms are what we're fighting for today. This is a common sense, bill. I urge this bill to be passed. We are here and prepared to work with our colleagues behind us, our allies. Let's get this done. Thank you. Oh, I got to introduce someone. Oh, yes. I am honored to introduce my colleague, my dear friend Jacqueline Ayers from Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Jacquline Ayres: Thank you so much. On behalf of Planned Parenthood and our over 2 million supporters across the country, I want to thank Representative Lizzie Fletcher, Marilyn Strickland, and Jamie Raskin for their work to reintroduce this bill. I want to be clear from the start, it does not matter what state you in, what where you live, if you should have the right to bodily autonomy and your ability to self-determine your health care. It does not matter how much money you make, what your race is, your sexual orientation, your immigration status you need. It is true that when the Supreme Court stole our right to access to abortion, that there is a corner of this country that faced an immediate threat. And we're continuing to see the impact of SB 8 and the Dobbs decision. Bans have been now eliminated and close to all or almost all or in some 18 states. This is putting an unimaginable strain on the health care system. We are, in fact, facing a public health care crisis and people are unfortunately being forced to travel hundreds of miles to access essential care. These barriers have worked to increase cost, wait times for what is a time sensitive health care procedure, and increasingly they are pushing people out of care, particularly those who have less resources. Because of this history of this country's racism and discrimination, abortion bans are disproportionately impacting black, Latino, indigenous, and other people of color. Everybody should be able to get an abortion in their community just like any other health care. No one should have to take the time to cross state lines to get their care. We know that the other side's ultimate ban, ultimate goal is to ban abortion nationwide. That's why this bill, which would reaffirm the right to travel to another state for abortion, is so very critical. There's a warped and barbaric and dangerous agenda being pushed by anti-abortion politicians. It's putting patients and providers at risk, contributing to a public health crisis. And these are the leaders who are working to put forward solutions, not further take away health care. We know that the American people overwhelmingly support access to abortion, and we know that we must continue to work on their behalf. So I want to say thank you very much to the reproductive champions in the House who are continuing to usher in solutions and the fight as long from over. So we're going to need you every step of the way. And thank you very much. I'll now turn it back over to Representative Fletcher.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher: Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Jacquline, for your inspiring words. Thank you to many, thank you to all of our allies and partners. And I want to thank the leaders of our pro-choice caucus, the leaders of the House Democratic Caucus, and my colleagues who are standing here today. And so we have a few more folks who are co-sponsors of this bill, who've been supportive of this legislation, who have worked so hard to make sure that we fight in every way, every day, everywhere. And so I'm glad to recognize my colleague, Jan Schakowsky.\

Jan Schakowsky: Thank you. I am Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of the ninth District of Illinois. Imagine, this is the United States of America to say that women cannot travel outside of the state that they live in, where we have no one standing at borders right now and checking passports to see where you live. Of course, preventing them from traveling to another state. That is unthinkable.  I was so proud to support Congresswoman Fletcher's bill last session, to say that people have the right to travel. Women have the right to travel. It is so simple. I am so proud to live in the state of Illinois, where we protect fully the right of women to seek abortions. But the last bill that we passed in the state legislature protects providers, protects doctors, and says that those doctors who will provide abortions to people who come from out of state cannot be prosecuted in any way.

We are so proud of being able to welcome people who have the ability, put the money together, make the plans, which is hard enough to travel to the state of Illinois and get the care that they need. And we will not allow our health care providers, our doctors, to be able to be processed, for doing what they are doing to save lives, to save the rights of women, to control our own bodies.

And the good news is the American people are behind us and we are going to fight until we reestablish our rights. Thank you. 

Angie Criag: Hello, everyone. My name is Angie Craig, and I come from Minnesota, which explains why I'm the only one here today without a coat on. So, you know, on the 24th of June, I was right here on this plaza marching to the Supreme Court to make sure that my voice was known in the wake of that calamitous decision to overturn Roe v Wade. That day, the Supreme Court put women's health care decisions in the hands of politicians. By August one in three Americans had lost access to reproductive rights. And in the months since, state after state has stripped women of their ability to control their own bodies and their own lives, to watch that rollback happen in the year 2023 is deeply distressing. No government and no politician has any place interfering in the decision between a woman and her family and her faith and her doctor. No government has the right to criminalize health care or restrict women's health care options. Right now, it is critical that we take every action we can at the federal level. You know, Minnesota is a state that is special and unique for many reasons, despite the fact that it's –10 air temp in my hometown this morning. But on this issue, it is an island of refuge for many Midwesterners seeking reproductive care. Our neighboring states of Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota have all placed restrictions or have completely banned abortion. In contrast, just this week, Minnesota enshrined a woman's fundamental right to an abortion into law. So today, I am so proud to join my colleagues to reintroduce the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, a bill that guarantees the right to access abortion care across all 50 states and the right to cross state lines to access that care if needed. Because the state you live in should not determine your ability to access health care. Thank you all for joining us today. And I'll turn it back over to Representative Fletcher.

Andrea Salinas: Thank you. Good morning. I'm state rep or excuse me. I'm Congresswoman Andrea Salinas from Oregon's brand new sixth Congressional District. I want to thank my women warriors and allies behind us for doing the work. So I am happy to be here as reinforcement now as a as a new freshman member. When the court overturn Roe v Wade, millions of women were robbed of our rights to make deeply personal health care decisions. And it's very fortunate that my home state of Oregon still allows access to reproductive care. And I have to say, now more than ever, I'm proud to be from Oregon because we have risen to the occasion. We've opened our doors in our arms to women from across the country. And providers are now seeing women as these folks have started from all over the country, but definitely from some nearby states. And we're going to continue to do that until reproductive rights are restored across the nation for all. Because as the visionary civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer once said Nobody is free till everybody's free. All of us have a constitution all right to travel. And the government has no business with that freedom. So let me be clear. Women who seek reproductive care in Oregon are welcome today, tomorrow and always. And we won't back down from that. Right. Thank you.

Jimmy Panetta: Thank you. Good morning, everybody. My name is Jimmy Panetta. I represent the 19th Congressional district in the state of California. Let me just start off by thanking Representative Lizzie Fletcher, my colleague, my good friend. And her willingness to put forward the ensuring Woman's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. Look, I think we all know when the Supreme Court and their jobs decision, when they made that decision, it was absolute detrimental to a woman's right to decide to determine to the right to choose their own reproductive health care. It's a decision that has led to an absolute patchwork of laws throughout the United States consisting of total bans, partial bans, and fortunately, states with no bans on a woman's choice for reproductive health care. It's not just confusing. It is dangerous and will affect the most vulnerable. Those with no access to contraception, no access to resources and no access to travel that will lead to an increase in the maternal mortality rate, a rate that the United States already leads amongst industrial nations. That's why, as a member of the 118th Congress, as a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus and as the United States Representative for the 19th Congressional District, I stand against the Dobbs decision. I stand for the Ensuring Woman's Right to Freedom Act, and I stand for a woman's health, the Woman's Health Protection Act as well. That's why today we stand shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues, with our constituents, so that together we can go toe to toe to ensure a woman's ability to access out of state reproductive health care.

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