Pelosi Remarks at Roundtable Discussion on Women's Reproductive Freedom

Statement

Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Congressman Sean Casten for a roundtable discussion on the state of reproductive freedom and women's health care in Illinois and the need to pass legislation protecting the right to choose. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. I feel pretty emotional listening to the evidence that you bring to the table that we do know about, but you can document as to what this means to women. First of all, we thank each and every one of you for what you do and for being here today. I want to acknowledge Isabel, who is here from grade school, taking off today to be part of our proceedings. Thank you, Isabel. It's about the future. It's about our children and the world that they will live in. And it's about the decisions that their families have to make.

Let me thank you all for sending Sean Casten to the Congress of the United States. He has been a respected, strong voice on many subjects in the Congress. And certainly this one. A steadfast voice for reproductive freedom, advancing the fight to defend women's most basic freedoms.

Now, understand what we have -- the bills that we have just put Roe v. Wade codification -- enshrinement into the law, not one vote from the other side, not one, not one vote from the other side. Then we put on the Floor -- and Congressman Casten, very much a part of this -- a bill to ensure that women have access to contraception, nine Republican votes. That means 200 voted no. So understand that. And then he's been a champion, again, on the federal right to birth control, as we said, but also the right of women to travel. Imagine that they would vote against women having the right to travel for their reproductive health. So I thank him for that. And for bringing us together, here.

Now, Deborah introduced herself as a grandmother. I introduce myself as a grandmother, but also as a mother of five. Five children in six years and one week.

[Laughter]

So I'm very respectful of people making their own personal decisions. I come from an Italian, Catholic, very Catholic background -- very liberal politics, but conservative in some of these other issues. Pro -- we think we are pro-life, but whatever they want to call themselves. And so I respect, I respect other people's point of view. And I want them to respect other people's point of view.

I have, for a long time in the Congress -- and I say this not to talk about my experience, but just so you know -- for decades, I've been trying to say to people, this isn't just about abortion. It's about contraception, it's about birth control. I have had fights with our colleagues over the years, over the years, where they have said to me, "Don't you understand? We're not for any family planning, domestic or global.'

So I want you all to Know Your Power in all of this. Because when you talked about -- when Jennifer talked about Planned Parenthood -- a number of years ago, there was an attempt for them to take the funding out of the bill. Now, there was no funding for Planned Parenthood, but it was funding for the programs that Planned Parenthood avails itself to, but they wanted to exclude them from that, but because of public sentiment, that failed. It wasn't just because the votes -- they had the Majority then -- but because of public sentiment. So again, Know Your Power in all of this.

So here's the thing. This is a constitutional issue: the rights of privacy, precedent issue of the Court, which they all said they would respect. Right, but they didn't. So it's a constitutional issue. It's a systems issue. We're talking about what it means -- anxiety, trauma, we're talking about mental health issues.

And I want to thank President Skogsbergh for what he said, thanking us for the legislation, but also recognizing two things: the mental health aspects of everything we do, but also what it means to the providers. The caregivers, the nurses, the doctors, everyone associated with this and the jeopardy that you've discussed, that it puts them in legally. But really, it comes down to constitution, systems, personal -- personal to women and their families.

What right does a judge or a Member of Congress have to come to the kitchen table of America's families and weigh in on size and timing of the family? Or even if there is any interest in going forward?

So we have some real challenges. But the impact on providers, whether it was COVID -- and we wanted to be sure we were protecting our providers -- whether it is in any aspect of our health care system, to make sure we have the resources needed to honor the work of our -- the education piece of it, so important, not just for doctors, but for nurses and other providers. And to come right down to it, come right down to it, it's a disparity issue. We know it, and you said it. It always has been. It always has been. So I want to just acknowledge that our President, in everything that he has done, whether it's infrastructure, whether it's whatever bill he's put out there, it's always about addressing disparities of access. Justice, bringing justice to it.

We know that women of color and women at the lower income level would have a real problem traveling to another state. Acknowledging what -- why they're doing it, having the money to do it and the rest. So again, it's a justice, a justice issue. And we owe everyone the respect to make their decisions, to live up to their responsibilities.

As I say, I came from this family, which was very, shall we say, in their own direction. Not activist or anything, but just that's what they believe, good for you. We respect that for you. But don't think that you are making a determination as to how other families are. So they're a little concerned about my activism on this subject. But I said, "Well, when you have six -- five children in six years and one week, then we can have this discussion.'

[Laughter]

But again, what a blessing for us, my husband and me, what a blessing for us. But I have four daughters, two granddaughters, nine grandchildren, mostly boys. But for them too, we have to do so -- it's urgent, it's urgent. Who would have ever thought that the Dobbs decision would come down in such a lethal way for some of them?

And now saying contraception begins -- I mean birth -- life begins at fertilization. Really? Really? Okay. You live by that. But don't think that other people have to.

So in terms of disparities of access, and justice that has to be brought to that, and we have to do more in terms of, as has been said, this is just the beginning. It's going to be about contraception. They've said that, Griswold. It's going to be about marriage equality. It's going to be about a lot of other things.

So this is an urgent fight that we are in. Again, I want to be respectful of other points of view for the people to live by, but not to make that the law of the land.

So thank you, all of you, for the power of your words, what you're doing. Since we have come to listen -- as you said earlier, Oren, you said you came to listen -- we came to listen, let's hear more from you. But understand, when you speak, we are listening and we are putting that into the calibration of what is the best way to go forward that would have the outside support. Lincoln said, "Public sentiment is everything. With it, you can accomplish almost anything. Without it, practically nothing.'

But for public sentiment to prevail, people have to know, they have to know what is at risk for them personally. And again, what we want to do to make that -- those decisions easier for them.

So thank you all so much. On with the show.

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