Gillibrand on Senate Health Care Bill With No Stupak

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November 18, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand gathered dozens of women leaders to protest Representative Bart Stupak's (D-MI) amendment. Doctors, businesswomen, teachers, public health experts, city, state, and federal elected officials and pro-choice leaders from NARAL, Planned Parenthood and others gathered to denounce the discriminatory and dangerous anti-choice provision, which would effectively prevent women from purchasing reproductive insurance with their own money and put the health of millions of women and young girls at grave risk.

After it was revealed that the Senate health care reform bill will not contain the dangerous and discriminatory Stupak measure, Senator Gillibrand released the following statement:

"I want to commend Leader Reid for showing the kind of leadership necessary to seize the opportunity and make real progress to fix America's broken health care system.

"While this bill is not perfect, the anti-choice measure that was included in the House bill is not contained in the Senate bill. The House's Stupak amendment would have resulted in grave risk to women and girls, particularly to low-income women. Denying a full range of reproductive services is not only discriminatory, but also dangerous, and puts the lives of women and girls at risk.

"More than 47 million Americans are uninsured. Health care costs are crippling businesses of all sizes and pushing families in every corner of America to the brink. In 2009, it is unconscionable that in the world's wealthiest nation, people are being dropped and turned away from coverage because of pre-existing conditions, denied preventative care, or that families are just one illness away from bankruptcy.

"This bill makes great strides to reform our broken system. It's time now to finally pass comprehensive health care reform legislation."

Source: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand