Chuck Schumer: 'It Is Vital We Protect Contraception At The Federal Level'

3 months ago

At a Senate Democratic press briefing on Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about the right to contraception.

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Transcript

00:00 All right, thank you all for coming.

00:02 And I thank Senators Murray and Markey and Hirono.

00:06 Well, today is an important anniversary.

00:10 Exactly 105 years ago, Congress passed the 19th Amendment,

00:15 granting women the right to vote for the first time.

00:19 The 19th Amendment was one of the greatest leaps ever in our march

00:24 to becoming a more perfect union.

00:27 And was only possible from decades of sacrifice, of struggle,

00:32 of persistence, a lot of which started in upstate New York,

00:35 I'm proud to say.

00:37 Of course, we honor the countless women who sacrificed, struggled,

00:40 and persisted, but we're also reminded

00:44 of the daunting but valiant fight ahead.

00:48 I am wearing this yellow ribbon.

00:50 It was given to me by the National Commission on Suffrage that kept --

00:55 that allowed us to go downstairs and look at the original document,

00:59 first time it showed in the Capitol.

01:01 But it's in my pocket, not pinned on because the stem broke.

01:05 Appropriate, given what the Supreme Court has done to human rights

01:09 and women's rights in the last few years.

01:13 Okay, we're going to carry so more than a century stands

01:18 between this generation and the generation

01:21 that made it possible for women to vote.

01:24 But in many ways, we still share their struggle

01:26 for greater justice and equality.

01:29 We still carry the same moral duty they bore

01:32 to make our nation a more faithful reflection of our founding ideals.

01:37 The march for equality for women

01:39 and for all Americans is certainly not over,

01:42 as the broken stem indicates.

01:45 And that is why we Senate Democrats are going to continue to fight

01:52 for women's freedoms this week, including a vote

01:55 on the right to contraception.

01:58 When women are told by hard right politicians

02:00 that their healthcare decisions are not theirs to make,

02:04 the march is still not over.

02:07 On this 105th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment,

02:10 we must confront the ugly truth

02:13 that women sadly have fewer freedoms

02:16 than they did just a few years ago.

02:18 So tomorrow, the Senate will defend the freedom of choice with a vote

02:24 on the Right to Contraception Act, led by Markey and Hirono.

02:28 Federal protections for contraceptives are a critical piece

02:31 of protecting women's reproductive freedoms.

02:34 This legislation would codify the right

02:36 to conception into federal law.

02:40 As MAGA Republicans continue to block protections for access

02:44 to contraceptives at the state level, there are several states

02:48 where the legislature is in the process of doing that right now.

02:52 It is vital we protect contraception at the federal level,

02:55 prevent the states from doing this.

02:58 To those who think that federal action protecting access

03:00 to birth control is not vital, they are wrong.

03:04 Republicans are openly blocking these protections

03:07 in states across the country.

03:09 And there's going to be more action to come.

03:12 Last night, I began the Rule 14 process for the Right to IVF Act,

03:17 led by Senators Duckworth and Murray and Booker,

03:20 to place it on the legislative calendar and make it available

03:23 to consideration on the floor.

03:26 I intend to bring this legislation protecting access

03:29 to IVF up for a vote very soon.

03:32 Millions of Americans have relied on IVF to have children.

03:36 But after a stunningly radical decision

03:38 by the Alabama Supreme Court that jeopardized access

03:43 to IVF families are rightfully worried

03:46 that this option be stripped away.

03:47 Go to any place in America and talk to women, and this is one

03:50 of the things they're talking about.

03:52 So Senate Democrats will act to safeguard and strengthen IVF access

03:56 for all Americans so that everyone has the chance to start a family.

04:01 In coming weeks, we will put reproductive freedoms

04:04 and women's rights front and center before this chamber in hopes

04:08 that we can do what we did 105 years ago,

04:12 create a more perfect union.

Chuck Schumer: 'It Is Vital We Protect Contraception At The Federal Level'

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