Bernie Sanders: The Fight For Reproductive Freedom Is Happening Right Now

[Donkees]

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Excerpt:

I am proud to say that my record of defending reproductive freedoms pre-dates Roe v. Wade. In 1972—decades before it was popular or politically convenient—I was quoted by the Vermont press saying that “it strikes me as incredible that politicians think they have the right to tell a woman what she can or cannot do with her body.” I am the only major candidate in the race who has consistently voted against the Hyde Amendment—the legislation that aims to gut federal funding for abortion services, including Planned Parenthood—and I am proud to have a 100 percent pro-choice voting record from NARAL Pro-Choice American and Planned Parenthood.

Joe Biden, regretfully, has a different record. Just after Roe was decided, Joe Biden believed the Supreme Court decision “went too far,” saying: “I don’t think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body.” As vice president, Biden worked to cut mandated coverage for contraception from Obamacare, and he supported the Hyde Amendment until last June, when his run for president brought fresh scrutiny to his long-held position.

I am also enormously proud of the plans put forward by this campaign. I have recently released a comprehensive plan to bring universal and affordable contraception and reproductive health care—from fertility treatments, to STI screenings, to abortion care—to every woman in this country. And our Medicare for All plan contains provisions specifically designed to finally bring an end to the crisis of maternal mortality in communities of color, particularly Black communities, across the country.

The freedom to control your own body is a fundamental, inalienable right. And yet, politicians on both sides of the aisle have failed to stand up to protect this freedom. I stood with women to protect that freedom in 1972, and in 2020, my position is unchanged. It’s the same place I’ve stood for the last 50 years—with you.