Dr. Austin Dennard, patient plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas case: “For me, the physical and emotional risk of carrying a pregnancy to term, one that had no chance of survival was something I could not fathom. But since the fall of Roe, abortion laws written by politicians—not doctors—made the decision for me. So long as I remained on Texas soil, I was to remain pregnant. Forced pregnancy. Forced to deliver. Forced to watch him die; either in my womb or in my arms.”
Senator Murray: “This isn’t a PR problem for women—it is a living hell, a personal nightmare. Women will not be quiet, and they will not be ignored.”
***VIDEO HERE of full briefing***
***Prepared opening remarks: Senator Murray, Dr. Austin Dennard; Dr. Serina Floyd; Jessica Valenti***
Washington, D.C. – Today, ahead of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) held a briefing on the state of abortion rights in America, the chaos and cruelty of the abortion bans that have been enacted in Republican-led states since Roe was overturned, and the need to pass legislation to restore the right to abortion nationwide. The briefing laid bare the horrific fallout from the Dobbs decision—including the pain and suffering women are being forced to endure in states where abortion is now banned—and at the briefing, Senator Murray made clear that Democrats will keep talking about abortion at every opportunity, using every tool at their disposal to shine a light on the awful realities the Dobbs decision created and relentlessly make the case for restoring and expanding abortion access nationwide. The briefing was co-hosted bySenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
At the briefing, 19 Senate Democrats heard from and asked questions of panelists Dr. Austin Dennard, a Texas OB/GYN and patient plaintiff in the Zurawski v. Texas case who was forced to leave her state for abortion care after receiving a fatal fetal diagnosis that threatened her health; Jessica Valenti, founder of the comprehensive daily newsletter Abortion Every Day that tracks anything and everything happening with abortion; and Dr. Serina Floyd, Chief Medical Officer for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC and a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health.
“You don’t forget the fear of being pregnant when you don’t want to be, or the heartbreak of learning a pregnancy is not viable, or the horror of learning it is life-threatening—and knowing you are unable to get the care you need in your state because of Republicans’ forced pregnancy laws,” Senator Murray said at the briefing today. “You don’t forget being investigated for having a miscarriage or driving your kid across state lines to get an abortion. You don’t forget when your doctor tells you they cannot act to save your life because they are afraid of going to jail. And you don’t ever forget losing a friend, or your wife, or your daughter because she couldn’t get the care she needed, because some politician thought their views were more important than her life.”
“That’s not something Republicans can fix with spin, or rebranding, or by sticking their heads in the sand. This isn’t a PR problem for women—it is a living hell, a personal nightmare,” Murray continued. “Women will not be quiet, and they will not be ignored. Certainly not while we have something to say about it.” Senator Murray’s full opening remarks, as delivered, are available HERE.
Right now, 21 states ban abortion or restrict the procedure earlier in pregnancy than the standard set by Roe v. Wade—including 14 states that enforce total bans on abortion care. As a result, almost 18 million women of reproductive age no longer have access to abortion care in their state of residence. When people do not have access to abortion care in their state, they are forced to make the difficult decision to travel long distances for care, self-manage an abortion, or carry an unwanted or non-viable pregnancy to term. Maternal health care has suffered in states that have banned or restricted abortion care and made it harder to attract new OBGYNs to the field, and the Dobbs decision greatly exacerbated America’s existing maternal mortality crisis as maternal and infant death rates are higher in states that ban or restrict abortion. A report from the Gender Equity Policy Institute found that women in states with abortion bans are nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth or soon after giving birth.
“As an OB/GYN, I know firsthand that everyone’s reason for needing an abortion is valid and personal. Even planned, prayed-for pregnancies can end in abortion,” said panelist Dr. Austin Dennard, an OB/GYN in Texas and patient plaintiff in the Zurawski v. Texas case who, after receiving a fatal fetal diagnosis, was forced to travel out-of-state for abortion care because of Texas’s strict abortion ban. “As a provider, I have seen abortions save lives. For me, the physical and emotional risk of carrying a pregnancy to term, one that had no chance of survival was something I could not fathom. But since the fall of Roe, abortion laws written by politicians—not doctors—made the decision for me. So long as I remained on Texas soil, I was to remain pregnant. Forced pregnancy. Forced to deliver. Forced to watch him die; either in my womb or in my arms. This is the current state of Texas.” Dr. Dennard’s full opening remarks, as prepared, are available HERE.
“When Republicans feign surprise or compassion over post-Roe horror stories, they are lying,” said panelist Jessica Valenti, founder of the comprehensive Abortion, Every Day newsletter. “They knew that women would suffer and die as a result of their laws, they decided it was a tradeoff worth making, and everything they’ve done since Roe was overturned has been in service of hiding that fact.” Ms. Valenti’s full opening remarks, as prepared, are availableHERE.
“Health care providers—the medical experts—should be able to care for the people in front of them. Patients deserve to access the care they need, and providers should be able to provide that without unnecessary interference from the judiciary or politicians,” said panelist Dr. Serina Floyd, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood of Metro Washington, DC (PPMW) and a practicing OB/GYN. “Waiting on courts to make decisions for patients exacerbates the chaos and confusion that already exists—and that fear and uncertainty is the goal. People should be able to get care in their own communities, in a manner that is best for them with people they trust.” Dr. Floyd’s full opening remarks, as prepared, are available HERE.
“The anniversary of Roe v. Wade should be a joyous day for our country – a day when the Supreme Court decided to value a woman’s right to privacy and her own autonomy,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “But since the calamitous Dobbs decision opened the floodgates, Republican abortion bans around the country have led to chaos and irreparable harm. Despite the pernicious forces of the MAGA right, I will never—never—stop fighting for a woman’s right to choose. I know history is on our side and ahead of the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Senate Democrats are committed to restoring access to abortion nationwide.”
“Two years ago, the Supreme Court ripped away the fundamental freedom to make our own reproductive health care decisions, putting so many women at risk. In response, Michiganders made their voices heard in the 2022 election by restoring this freedom in Michigan through an amendment to the State constitution,” said Senator Stabenow. “If Republicans continue their fight to take our country backwards with a national abortion ban, this freedom will be stripped away. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment and Senate Democrats will continue to fight to make sure our reproductive freedom is protected.”
“For the first time in a generation, we live in a world where women have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers. The Dobbs decision has created chaos, placing women at the mercy of a patchwork of state laws that determine whether they have access to reproductive healthcare,” said Senator Klobuchar. “We need to ensure that women in every state—not politicians or judges—are once again at the helm of their most personal healthcare choices. We’re not backing down from this fight.”
“The reality of post-Roe America has been dire. It’s endangered women, inserted judges and politicians into doctor’s offices, and infringed on the basic rights of Americans who are just trying to make their own health care decisions,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to lead the Women’s Health Protection Act to restore the right to abortion nationwide, returning the decision to start a family back to women and their doctors, without interference from the government. I stand strong with my colleagues and the advocates leading the fight to regain the rights and freedoms millions of Americans have lost.”
“In the year and a half since the Supreme Court struck down Roe, we’ve seen a new form of hell, brought to us by extremist courts and Republican politicians determined to obliterate abortion rights across the country,” said Senator Warren. “The reality is the majority of Americans oppose overturning Roe, and Democrats will be relentless in our fight to defend reproductive freedom for all.”
“Women’s freedoms are at risk in every state in the country. But my colleagues and I will never stop fighting for women,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “We will keep pushing to restore women’s essential health care and our bodily autonomy, and we’ll continue to be a firewall in the Senate against any attempts to pass a federal abortion ban. Because women’s rights in the United States of America must be protected.”
Senate Democrats made clear at the outset of this Congress that they are continuing to fight to protect every American’s reproductive rights and will be a firewall against Republicans’ continued attacks on women’s rights. Senate Democrats have introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; importantly, Senate Democrats are fighting to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would restore the right to abortion nationwide. Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Senate Democrats sought unanimous consent on the Senate floor to pass four common-sense bills to protect women’s fundamental freedoms—Senate Republicans blocked every single bill.
Senator Murray’s opening remarks at Senate Democrats’ State of Abortion Rights briefing—as delivered.
“Good morning, welcome to all of you. And I want to first off thank all of our panelists who we are going to hear from today. I want to thank all of my colleagues who will be joining us, some of them will be coming in and out as the morning goes/ But I especially want to thank Senator Schumer who will be here shortly, and Senators Stabenow, Klobuchar, Baldwin, Warren, and Cortez Masto who are co-hosting this briefing for us. And again, I want to thank everyone who is joining us today.
“I am here, ahead of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, to send a message to all the Republicans who spent years crusading to overturn abortion rights—and who are now working to ban abortion nationwide: Senate Democrats will not let anyone turn away from the devastation that Republicans have caused, and we will not stop pushing to restore the federal right to abortion.
“Let’s get one thing clear right off the bat—the vast majority of Americans support the right to abortion. They understand that it should be women who are making decisions about their pregnancies, not politicians, not judges.
“And since Roe was overturned we have seen that every time abortion rights were on the ballot—abortion rights have won! And tragically, we have also seen, with brutal clarity, how women have been put in danger and made to suffer because of Republican abortion bans.
“I have met with providers in Washington state who are overwhelmed and doing their best to keep up with the surge of patients from states like Idaho with strict abortion bans.
“But that has not stopped Republicans from doubling down on extremism. Anti-choice politicians and activists are still trying to ignore the enormous damage their policies are causing or pretend that it’s not their fault.
“Well, anyone who is actually listening to women and families affected by Republicans’ anti-abortion crusade will tell you, Republicans’ attempts to dodge responsibility for the chaos and trauma they created will not work.
“Because, you don’t forget the fear of being pregnant when you don’t want to be, or the heartbreak of learning a pregnancy is not viable, or the horror of learning it is life-threatening—and knowing you are unable get the care that you need in your state because Republicans’ forced pregnancy laws.
“You don’t forget being investigated for having a miscarriage or driving your kid across state lines to get an abortion.
“You don’t forget when your doctor tells you they cannot act to save your life because they are afraid of going to jail.
“And you don’t ever forget losing a friend, or your wife, or your daughter because she couldn’t get the care she needed—because some politician thought their views were more important than her life.
“That’s not something Republicans can fix with spin, or rebranding, or by sticking their heads in the sand.
“This isn’t a PR problem for women—it is a living hell, and a personal nightmare.
“Women will not be quiet, and they will not be ignored. Certainly not while we have something to say about it.
“Senate Democrats are going to keep fighting to protect abortion from new Republican attacks, pass legislation like the Women’s Health Protection Act to restore and expand abortion rights, and lift up the voices and stories of people across the country who are suffering as a result of Republicans’ cruelty.
“And that’s why we are here today. And I really appreciate everyone who joining us today to make sure that these incredibly important stories are told. And with that I’m going to turn it over to our panelists to share what their personal live has been like. And I’m going to start with Dr. Dennard who has come here with a critical story that all of us need to understand and hear.”
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