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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) took to the House floor and delivered a speech in recognition of the 47^th anniversary of Roe versus Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. 

“Nearly 50 years after Roe became settled law, abortion is still under attack by extreme politicians who believe the government should dictate whether and when to have a child,” said Pingree in her remarks. “As we honor the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must expand abortion access for women across the country and stand up to senseless attacks on women’s health.”

Pingree’s floor speech is available for viewing or download here. A full transcript is below.

M. Speaker –

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled 7 to 2 that women have the right to make their own health care decisions and to legally access abortion care. 

47 years later, our country has seen significant social and economic progress since Roe v Wade.

73 percent of Americans support keeping Roe v. Wade the law of the land. They agree that we can’t go back.

And yet, nearly 50 years after Roe became settled law, abortion is still under attack by extreme politicians who believe the government should dictate whether and when to have a child.

 From 2011 to 2018, states across our country enacted 424 separate restrictions on abortion.

In 2016, Donald Trump campaigned on a promise of appointing justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade and he has appointed more than one-quarter of all active judges to date.

His administration has pushed a domestic gag rule to prohibit doctors from telling women about their legal right to access abortion— and slashed access to family planning funding in the process.

As we honor the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must expand abortion access for women across the country and stand up to senseless attacks on women’s health.

As a member of Congress, Pingree has been a champion of choice and reproductive freedoms. She has supported repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which bars Medicaid recipients from using their coverage for abortion services; condemned the Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule, which guts family planning and healthcare services to 22,000 low-income Mainers; and voted against House Republicans’ numerous attempts to make reproductive services expensive and inaccessible for women across the country.

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