“Without this legislation, a woman could face prosecution for traveling across state lines”
“Her choice would be possible jail or probable death”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper today spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act, which would protect every woman’s constitutional right to travel to Colorado and other pro-choice states to receive abortion care — and protect the providers who treat them. Republicans blocked the bill from passing shortly after Hickenlooper’s remarks.
For video of Hickenlooper’s remarks, CLICK HERE.
“After the Texas abortion ban took effect, one woman had her water break at 19 weeks – actually on her wedding day, she’d moved up her wedding day. The doctors recommended terminating her pregnancy to protect her life, increase the likelihood she could have children in the future. But it wasn’t allowed in Texas,” Hickenlooper said in his remarks.
“So she flew to Colorado for emergency care. Her doctor had her make a plan for this travel in case she went into labor on the flight. The plan was to sit near the bathroom.
“That’s what it will soon come to for women in half of America.”
For full video of his remarks, click HERE. A transcript is available below:
The Senate should absolutely support the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act.
Currently, abortion is banned in 10 states. Many are set to follow.
But not in Colorado, where we acted strongly to support access to reproductive care. Like other pro-choice states, we are seeing a large influx of patients.
Yet we’ve heard tragic stories of women sleeping in their cars overnight outside of clinics after traveling hundreds of miles, as they wait for appointments.
After the Texas abortion ban took effect, one woman had her water break at 19 weeks – actually on her wedding day, she’d moved up her wedding day. The doctors recommended terminating her pregnancy to protect her life, increase the likelihood she could have children in the future. But it wasn’t allowed in Texas.
So she flew to Colorado for emergency care. Her doctor had her make a plan for this travel in case she went into labor on the flight. The plan was to sit near the bathroom.
That’s what it will soon come to for women in half of America.
Without this legislation, a woman could face prosecution for traveling across state lines.
Let that sink in: Her choice would be possible jail or probable death.
This bill will protect every woman’s right to travel to seek reproductive care. A basic freedom.
It would also protect doctors who practice in states like Colorado, and protect them from prosecution and lawsuits for helping out-of-state patients.
Fundamentally, as my fellow Senators have said, this is about freedom.
In this new post-Roe era women can be forced into government-mandated pregnancies.
States are stripping women of the freedom over their bodies and future.
The very least we should do is protect every patient traveling to receive care that – just a few weeks ago – was permitted nationwide.
Threatening millions of women and doctors with jail time for seeking or providing reproductive health care would be a stain on this nation.
I hope we can find 60 senators to support this bill. I yield the floor.
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