Merkley: Health Care Reform Should Be About Expanding Access, Not Restricting Rights

Merkley: Health Care Reform Should Be About Expanding Access, Not Restricting Rights

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the United States Senate voted to reject an amendment that would have denied women basic health care services and restricted a woman’s right to choose:

“Today I cast my vote in opposition to an amendment that would have impeded the ability of millions of women across the country to receive the full range of reproductive services offered by health professionals and guaranteed by law.  This amendment was a far-reaching attack on basic health care services and would have put the government between a woman and her doctor.


 “Health care reform should be about providing all Americans with the medical services they need; not limiting options for half the population.  It should be about fixing our broken health care system, not about taking away a woman’s fundamental right to choose.”