FIGHTING FOR EVERY WOMAN

On 2026-06-24, Representative Maxine Dexter (D-OR-3) delivered a floor speech titled "FIGHTING FOR EVERY WOMAN" in the House.

FIGHTING FOR EVERY WOMAN

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [House] [Page H4228] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] FIGHTING FOR EVERY WOMAN (Ms. DEXTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, the decision to have a child is one of the most personal decisions a human can make. As a physician, I have sat with patients during some of the hardest moments of their lives. I know these deeply personal medical decisions should be guided by science, evidence, and the trusted relationship between a physician and their patient, not by politicians or judges, and not by radical politicians and judges obsessed with policing women's bodies. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, more than 20 States have banned or restricted access to abortion, leaving millions of women with no legal right to make decisions about their own bodies. That is a moral failure. Abortion is not a privilege; it is essential healthcare. Every individual in this country should have bodily autonomy--no exceptions and no excuses. In Oregon, the right to abortion is protected, and I won't stop fighting for every woman, every young girl, and every person in this country to have full control of their own body. ____________________