“[T]his was never about states’ rights, really, to my right-wing colleagues who want to restrict a woman’s fundamental rights. And we know that because now they are pushing for a national abortion ban.”
“The current legislation introduced by Senator Graham stops the people in pro-choice states like mine, like Nevada, from choosing to protect the rights of women. At the same time, it leaves in place stricter abortion bans in 14 states.”
“Right now we’re seeing some politicians once again declare that they know what’s best for every family in this nation. They want to force the state of Nevada—and other states like Nevada—to limit women’s freedoms, even though voters in my state voted to legally protect the right to choose that Nevada women have had for fifty years.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) spoke on the Senate floor about legislation introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would ban abortion nationwide. If passed, the bill would override the laws in states across the country where abortion is still legal, including Nevada, even though Nevada voters approved a ballot initiative in 1990 to enshrine a woman’s right to choose in state law.
Below are her remarks as prepared for delivery:
In June, as we are hearing, the Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade, reversing nearly fifty years of law that recognized a woman’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom.
And we also know that Justice Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion repeatedly insisted that the Court’s decision would “return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives” in the states.
But this was never about states’ rights, really, to my right-wing colleagues who want to restrict a woman’s fundamental rights. And we know that because now they are pushing for a national abortion ban.
Yesterday, as we have heard, Senator Graham introduced a strict national abortion ban, with criminal penalties for doctors who provide critical care.
If it passes, this bill will preempt the laws in states across the country where abortion is still legal—including my own state of Nevada. In Nevada, our voters approved a ballot initiative in 1990 to enshrine a woman’s right to choose in our state laws.
So, what happened to my colleagues’ claims of respecting the right of states to make that decision?
Well, apparently it wasn’t enough to pack the Court with Supreme Court Justices who would vote to deprive women of the right that they have held for fifty years, under the guise of states’ rights. Now, when far-right Republicans disagree with a state’s decision, like mine, they plan to impose their own laws.
The current legislation introduced by Senator Graham stops the people in pro-choice states like mine, like Nevada, from choosing to protect the rights of women. At the same time, it leaves in place stricter abortion bans in 14 states.
What these far-right Republicans are effectively saying now is, “Anti-choice states, you’re free to choose however harsh you want your abortion bans to be. But you pro-choice states—you’re out of luck. Whatever the voters want in your states, it really doesn’t matter. Because we’re going to impose our own laws.”
Look, Nevadans, as I’ve said, in 1990 we worked to codify Roe v. Wade, because we know that it is impossible to walk in another woman’s shoes. We know that each woman—this is an important decision for each individual woman to make, with her doctor, with her loved ones—about her health care, about her family planning.
I do not know what another woman is going to go through. And I do not want to restrict her access to any type of care, and nor should any of us be imposing our beliefs, our experiences, our religion on someone else. That’s what this is about, and that’s why Nevada voters voted in 1990 to codify Roe v. Wade and protect the right of women the right to make this decision.
Right now we’re seeing some politicians once again declare that they know what’s best for every family in this nation. They want to force the state of Nevada—and other states like Nevada—to limit women’s freedoms, even though voters in my state voted to legally protect the right to choose that Nevada women have had for fifty years.
I have been saying for months now that some of my colleagues would never be satisfied with just overturning Roe, and that they wouldn’t rest until there was a national abortion ban. This bill shows every American that not only are women’s rights under attack, but so is the democratic process in states like Nevada. If we don’t have an abortion ban on the books, our state rights don’t matter. That is just unacceptable.
We can’t let our nieces, our daughters, our granddaughters grow up in a world where they have fewer rights than we have had in the past. So I for one will keep fighting back, because this is about the fundamental right for American women and the will of people in states like Nevada to make this decision.
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