WASHINGTON — Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) on June 18 issued the following statement about her vote against H.R. 1797, legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks:
“Today I voted against H.R. 1797, legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks nationwide. This legislation is blatantly unconstitutional and includes no exception to protect a woman’s health, thereby denying care to women in the most desperate of circumstances.
“While the bill’s authors added a narrow rape and incest exception at the eleventh hour, it would only apply to women who reported the act to the appropriate authorities. Unfortunately, the majority of rape victims do not report the crime due to fear for safety or of social stigma, so they too would not receive needed care under this compassionless legislation.
“At the end of the day, the decision a woman makes about her health is a very personal choice that should be between her, her doctor, and her loved ones. This legislation is an attempt to insert the federal government into this decision-making process and chip away at a woman’s right to choose. Therefore, I voted no.”
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, authored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), was passed by the House of Representatives, 228 to 196. According to The Huffington Post, the Senate is unlikely to take up the bill, and the White House has said that President Obama would veto it if it reached his desk.