Protecting abortion access for veterans, eligible dependents

Since the Supreme Court overturned long standing protections for the fundamental right to access abortion care nearly a year ago, we have seen countless attacks on women’s reproductive rights from anti-choice states across our nation.

States that are banning abortions without exceptions for rape or incest. States that are risking the lives of women who have miscarried.

And I’ve been doing everything I can to stand up and defend a woman’s fundamental right to make health care choices for her own body without interference from anti-choice politicians.

And this includes making sure we protect our veterans’ rights – and that includes the right to make decisions over their own bodies.

Our veterans and their families, you know, they’ve risked so much to protect our nation, to protect our rights – and we owe it to them to defend their fundamental right to access reproductive care, regardless of where they live. They put themselves in harm’s way – we must protect them.

That’s why last year, I urged the Department of Veterans Affairs to make it clear that they will provide access to abortion care to veterans and their families. And I’m glad they listened.

But today, anti-choice Republicans in Washington want to overturn that [decision] and they want to restrict our veterans’ access to reproductive care. And that’s what today’s debate is about.

If they get their way and they roll back this rule, the VA health care system would NO longer be allowed to provide abortion counseling or care of any kind to servicemembers and veterans — and listen to this – even in the case of rape, even when the mother’s life is at risk.

I’m not going to let that happen.

My state of Nevada is honored to be the home of hundreds of thousands of veterans, and we are a proud pro-choice state.

When Nevadans sent me to the Senate, they sent me here to fight for their rights. And that’s what I will always do.

So, Madam President, I urge my colleagues to join me in fighting back against this ideological attempt to restrict reproductive rights for veterans by opposing this resolution.

For our veterans, for women in Nevada, and for women everywhere in the United States, I urge a no vote.

Thank you.