Washington, D.C. – Earlier this
week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand gathered dozens of women leaders to
protest Representative Bart Stupak’s (D-MI) amendment. Doctors, businesswomen,
teachers, public health experts, city, state, and federal elected officials and
pro-choice leaders from NARAL, Planned Parenthood and others gathered to
denounce the discriminatory and dangerous anti-choice provision, which would
effectively prevent women from purchasing reproductive insurance with their own
money and put the health of millions of women and young
girls at grave risk. After it was revealed that the Senate health care reform
bill will not contain the dangerous and discriminatory Stupak measure, Senator
Gillibrand released the following statement:
“I want to commend Leader Reid for showing the kind of
leadership necessary to seize the opportunity and make real progress to fix
America’s broken health care system.
“While this bill is not perfect, the anti-choice measure that was
included in the House bill is not contained in the Senate bill. The House’s
Stupak amendment would have resulted in grave risk to women and girls,
particularly to low-income women. Denying a full range of reproductive services
is not only discriminatory, but also dangerous, and puts the lives of women and
girls at risk.
“More
than 47 million Americans are uninsured. Health care costs are crippling
businesses of all sizes and pushing families in every corner of America to the
brink. In 2009, it is unconscionable that in the world’s wealthiest nation,
people are being dropped and turned away from coverage because of pre-existing
conditions, denied preventative care, or that families are just one illness
away from bankruptcy.
“This
bill makes great strides to reform our broken system. It’s time now to
finally pass comprehensive health care reform legislation.”