‘Who Do You Think You Are?!’ Congresswoman Rages Against Republicans’ ‘Cold, Heartless, Violent Approach’ to Abortion

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) blasted House Republicans during a floor speech on Wednesday night over their opposition to a veterans bill that contains an abortion measure. The legislation is designed to help vets better transition from the military back to civilian life.

GOP lawmakers objected to a provision in the Solid Start Act that states the Department of Veterans Affairs will be “providing women veterans with information that is tailored to their specific health care and benefit needs.”

The VA announced earlier this month it would provide abortions for women veterans who become pregnant as a result of rape, incest, or are endangered by their pregnancy. As such, the bill doesn’t represent a departure from existing policy.

“In terms of making decisions on behalf of women, if you wanna take a veterans bill and make it about abortion, then let’s do it,” Slotkin said. “What you are saying – and you’re saying in front of the American people – is that you believe a veteran who has been raped, who was the victim of incest, or who is having a dangerous miscarriage, does not deserve access to abortion.”

Slotkin challenged her Republican colleagues to clear up any misconceptions she may have about their position.

“If you can’t state it, then be clear you believe in no exceptions for women – a cold heartless, violent approach to women’s health,” she stated. “You want to ban all abortions. That is your goal. Many of you have been open about that, and if you flip the House, we know that you will put forward a full ban on all abortion for all states.”

Slotkin was only getting started:

What the VA guidelines say is that if you’ve been raped, or the victim of incest, or a medical professional deems that your pregnancy is a risk to your health, the one in four women in this country who has had a miscarriage – probably many women in this room – that you are a better judge of who gets to decide the future of their life and not a medical doctor. Who do you think you are?!

You are politicians. We are all, on this floor, elected officials and not medical professionals. If it was your wife, your daughter who was suffering through a miscarriage, are you gonna tell her she can’t until her fever gets high enough and until she’s bleeding harder? That’s what’s happening in the state of Texas right now.

If that’s what you want for veterans, shame on you! Shame on you!”

Slotkin accused Republicans of making the bill “political.”

After she concluded her speech, the chair reminded members to direct their remarks to the chair instead of their colleagues.

Watch above via C-SPAN.