Remarks by Representative Adriano Espaillat in Support of Reproductive Justice

WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) delivered the following remarks on the House floor today to urge that reproductive justice be considered as a fundamental freedom for all.

"Last year, the Supreme Court stripped millions of women in our country of their status as free and equal members of society by overturning Roe and Casey.

As members of Congress, we have a responsibility to correct this wrong and show people across the world that we will fight for equality, human rights, and reproductive justice. Policing the bodies of women impedes their human rights and can have deadly consequences.

Approximately 64,000,000 women and girls of reproductive age live in the United States, and more than half of them live in States that have begun to seek to ban or further restrict SAFE access to abortion now that the Supreme Court overturned Roe and Casey.

Congress must ensure that the fight for reproductive justice continues.

That is why today I am introducing a resolution to condemn the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe and Casey and commit to advancing reproductive justice and judicial reform. I urge my colleagues to vote no on republican anti-abortion bills and commit to protecting a person’s right to choose and reproductive health.

Thank you and I yield."

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov