VIDEO: Murray, Senate Democrats Slam GOP Plan to Defund Planned Parenthood in Affordable Care Act Repeal
Murray: “We are here with a very clear message: not on our watch”
“Women and men nationwide who…stand with Planned Parenthood, I urge you to make your voices heard”
(Washington, D.C.) —Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) held a press conference condemning Republican leadership after they announced that the reconciliation bill dismantling the Affordable Care Act would also include measures to defund Planned Parenthood.
The Senators called on Republicans to drop their hyper-partisan attack on women, men, and families’ access to health care. They also urged all who stand with Planned Parenthood to fight back and make their voices heard.
VIDEO of the press conference is HERE.
Full text of Senator Murray’s remarks:
“Thank you all for joining us on short notice.
“But that is what we were given – was short notice.
“About a significant step that the House Republicans just announced. They plan to defund Planned Parenthood as part of their attempt to rip apart our health care system.
“We are here to say we are outraged, as women of the Senate.
“A number of women senators will be here to join us as well – but this is outrageous.
“This Congress just came into session.
“The first thing they did was try and change the ethics rule. The second thing they did is their attempt to take away health care from millions of women – and now they’re going to defund Planned Parenthood.
“This is the party that ran saying we are going to fight to make sure that our workers and families have a better chance in America.
“And what are they doing? They are taking away women’s opportunity to be who they want to be economically, and to make their own health care choices.
“We are outraged - and we are going to fight back every step of the way.
“You know this takes me back to 2010 when Gingrich and the House Republicans fought throughout a campaign – saying this is about jobs and the economy – and what was the first thing they did?
“Introduced legislation to defund Planned Parenthood.
“It is no coincidence that Pence met with the Republicans yesterday – he is a prime architect of this – and today they announced they’re going to defund Planned Parenthood.
“We are going to stand and fight for millions of women in this country for their access to their health care to be able to make decisions for themselves.
“So we want you to know, we are here every step of the way to fight back – this is wrong.
“And I’m really delighted to be joined by some of our women senators – we are united in this – and I want to turn this over to Kirsten Gillibrand.”
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