TRANSCRIPT: At A Spotlight Forum On Dobbs Anniversary, Leader Schumer Sounds Alarm On Republicans’ Continued Attacks On Reproductive Rights

Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke at a spotlight forum ahead of the anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision on the fight against Republicans' attacks on reproductive rights. Below is a transcript of Leader Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Does anyone here remember what Trump promised in 2024 right before the election? He said women will no longer be thinking about abortion if he were elected. Donald Trump, we are thinking about abortion not only here, but a million times a year. You are not going to sweep this under the rug. And women are thinking of it even more, because the effect, the evil effects of Dobbs are now there. And women talk about it in the living rooms and in the offices and everywhere about what's happened to them or their friends or their daughters or their cousins. The truth is, women are thinking about abortion access more than ever before, because their freedom to make their own decisions about their own bodies faces a graver threat than ever before. I want to thank Alexis and Evelyn and Megan and Kaitlyn and Samantha for sharing your experiences. You're lighting a candle. You're holding a spotlight. You're showing America that we will not forget, and we are fighting.

You were showing America the real divisions between the parties now. That wasn't so true 20 years ago. Now it is. And one party, ours, stands for women's rights and women's freedom. And the other isn't just content to roll it back in the Dobbs decision. They're going after mifepristone. They're going after Planned Parenthood. They're going after women's health. They are relentless in their attacks on women. But we are not letting them sweep this under the rug or silence us in any way. Donald Trump may want to brush his extreme effort to curtail women's reproductive rights under the rug. Trump, we ain't going to let you. And it's not just us and those of us in this room. It's millions of women and men across America who see what you have done and what has happened.

Ever since the Dobbs decision four years ago, which stripped away the constitutional right to abortion that existed for 50 years and gutted reproductive health care, unfortunately, Republicans have been working around the clock to restrict access to abortion care nationwide. They've gone after, as I mentioned, mifepristone and Planned Parenthood. They've kicked millions off their health insurance. People forget that that has a huge effect on women's health and women's reproductive freedom. And then they're punishing women who simply are trying to access health care they need. They're punishing them as criminals and doctors as criminals, and they're letting women die, die by restricting necessary care.

Less freedom in your life, more government interference in your personal decisions. That's the MAGA way. Democrats are going to fight these extremist efforts on every, every front.

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