Feinstein Statement on Republican Anti-Abortion Bills

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement after voting against two Republican anti-abortion bills voted on by the Senate today:

            “The two bills the Senate voted on today would have severely limited women’s access to health care. Senators were right in voting down both of these anti-choice bills.

            “Senator Graham’s bill banning abortions after 20 weeks lacked exceptions for the health of the mother or fetus. Worse, it would criminalize doctors who provided care in those cases, forcing women to suffer through potentially catastrophic health care emergencies without medical care.

            “Senator Sasse’s bill would have interfered with the doctor-patient relationship in the rare case when a mother receives tragic news that her baby won’t survive. It would require doctors to take extraordinary measures to unnecessarily prolong the baby’s life regardless of the mother’s wishes.

            “I’m troubled that we continue to debate legislation that would take us back to the days before Roe v. Wade. All women have the right to control their reproductive lives, and I’ll continue fighting to protect that right.”

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