On Roe Anniversary, Senator Murray, Democrats Hammer Republicans for Pushing Anti-Abortion Lies and Dangerous Extremism Rather Than Lowering Costs, Helping Families

***VIDEO HERE**

Washington, D.C. - Today, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tina Smith (D-MN) held a press conference calling out how Republicans are, in week one of the Trump administration, doubling down on dangerous anti-abortion extremism and spreading debunked lies about abortion with a vote on S.6-instead of working to make life more affordable for families or do anything that would actually help women, families, and children.

Today, the Senate is voting on S.6-legislation that would create a new government mandate overriding the best judgment of grieving families facing fatal fetal diagnoses, threaten providers, and create even more barriers to reproductive health care in America. At the same time Republicans are forcing a vote on this anti-woman, anti-family legislation, they are putting Medicaid on the chopping block and attacking SNAP, WIC, and many other programs struggling families rely on.

"Republicans are focused on just about everything except how to lower costs and make regular people's lives better. And this week, they aren't rolling out a health care plan or telling us how they will lower the cost of groceries-instead, they are pushing more unpopular, anti-abortion extremism," said Senator Murray. "Republicans are still peddling debunked lies about how abortion works and the people who get them, and trying to pass through the U.S. Congress a disgraceful sham of a bill that totally misrepresents the hard and painful choices women face when a pregnancy is medically complicated. During the first week of Trump's presidency, this is what Republicans are focused on: attacking women, criminalizing doctors, and lying about abortion."

"It's Donald Trump's first week as president, and Republicans are already escalating their war on women's reproductive freedoms," said Leader Schumer. "This so-called born alive bill, which the Senate has squarely rejected in the past, attacks women's healthcare through false narratives and outright fear mongering. It would harm the ability of medical professionals to provide healthcare based on evidence and turns heartbreakingly difficult situations into political footballs. Senate Democrats stand ready to reject this partisan and pernicious bill when it comes to the Senate floor."

"No elected official here in Washington, in any state capital or in any court in this country should be in charge of making the most personal and difficult decisions that women, their families and their doctors should be making," said Senator Shaheen. "Instead we should be working on what the American people want, which is more affordable access to health care and the ability for women to make our own decisions about our bodies and our futures."

"Roe v. Wade recognized that the Constitution of the United States protects the freedom, dignity and autonomy of women to make personal and private decisions about their bodies, their lives and their families, free from government interference," said Senator Smith. "Now, on what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe, Senate Republicans are trying to pass an anti-abortion federal law that would infringe on a woman's right to choose. It is only day three of the Trump administration and instead of putting forth legislation to help people afford their lives, Republicans are focused on stripping women of their freedoms."

Existing law ensures that all babies, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, are equally protected under the law-this was codified in the bipartisan Born-Alive Infant Protections Act of 2002, which passed the Senate unanimously. S.6 is legislation in search of a problem that would have far-reaching, tragic consequences.

S. 6 would force physicians to adhere to new mandates that are not based in medicine or science, and make it harder for women to access compassionate health care-at a time when there are already so many barriers to care. Under the bill's overly broad, vague standards, an induced labor of a fetus with a fatal diagnosis could potentially be considered an "attempted abortion"-this would subject medical providers to up to five years in prison for not following the requirements of the bill. In cases of a fatal diagnosis, a baby may only live a few minutes or hours outside of the womb-that baby's parents may want to spend that precious, limited time holding and saying goodbye to their baby, not having the baby transported to a hospital for aggressive medical care that will do absolutely nothing to save the life of their child and only prolong their suffering. Democrats believe doctors and parents should be able to determine what compassionate medical interventions are pursued when the fetus has a fatal condition-not politicians.

Senator Murray is a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court's disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has 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; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Last January, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Murray led her colleagues in hosting a "State of Abortion Rights" briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans, and last June, she chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled "The Assault on Women's Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America." Recently, Murray helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes to protect access to contraception and access to IVF (twice), and she led her colleagues in raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration poses to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.

Senator Murray's full remarks at today's press conference are below, and video is HERE:

"We are here today because Republicans are focused on just about everything except how to lower costs and make regular people's lives better. And this week, they are not rolling out a health care plan or telling us how they are going to lower the cost of groceries.

"Instead, Republicans are pushing more unpopular, anti-abortion extremism. And Republicans are still peddling debunked lies about how abortion works, and the people who get them.

"And trying to pass, through the U.S. Congress, a disgraceful sham of a bill that totally misrepresents the hard and painful choices that women face when a pregnancy is medically complicated. Let talk about the bill that the Republicans are bringing to the floor today, because it is important for people to understand what it is.

"Senator Lankford's bill, which has 44 cosponsors, would create a new government mandate that would override the best judgment of grieving families who find out their fetus has a fatal condition-and it would create new, medically unnecessary barriers for doctors and patients at a time when doctors already have their hands tied when it comes to basic reproductive health care.

"And let's be clear: it is already illegal to kill a baby. To suggest otherwise is a deliberate and callous smear against providers and parents who find themselves in heartbreaking, traumatic situations. It is heinous and an absurd suggestion.

"Now, Americans are rightly worried about what will happen to their reproductive rights under total Republican control of government. And that's because they are painfully aware of what is happening already, every day, because of Republican bans: women are being denied the care they need, they're being told they have to get sicker first, and told they have to go to a different state. They're told they have to stay pregnant-even if they don't want to, or even if it kills them.

"That is the state of women's health in states across America today and it is profoundly alarming that now, Republicans are doubling down to make things even worse.

"During the first week of Trump's presidency, this is what Republicans are focused on? Attacking women, criminalizing abortion, criminalizing doctors, and lying about abortion.

"Republicans obviously don't care about the cost of groceries. They aren't working to make life more affordable for families-before or after a baby is born.

"Think about it that-Republicans have put Medicaid and SNAP on the chopping block. House Republicans fought back when we tried to fully fund WIC so moms and babies would not go hungry! And Republicans are flat-out opposed to making paid leave a reality so that a mom can spend time with her baby after giving birth.

"So today, we are here, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, to say that we are going to do everything we can to continue to push back against Republicans' anti-abortion, anti-woman extremism.

"I cannot predict what Republicans will launch next-but I can promise you that Democrats will stand our ground, lift up your voices, and fight for your rights every single day.

"Republicans may be in charge, but we are not going anywhere."

###

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.