January 22, 2025

Wyden Slams Republicans for Prioritizing Anti-Abortion Extremism Over Legislation to Lower Costs and Help Families

Watch a video of Wyden’s remarks here

Washington, D.C. — Senator Ron Wyden spoke out on the Senate floor against Republicans’ escalated assault on reproductive freedom in the first days of the Trump administration, showing their true priorities are undermining healthcare and reproductive freedoms, rather than lowering costs for working families.

Wyden’s remarks this week came ahead of the Senate’s expected vote on S.6, legislation that would create a new government mandate that overrides the best judgment of physicians and grieving families, and  creates even more barriers to reproductive health care. 

Wyden laid out how this bill is just the latest effort by Republicans to continue their extremist attack on women and families and give politicians power over some of the most painful and personal decisions a family can face. 

“Republicans have chosen to spend their first day in power trying to pass a bill that would further criminalize reproductive health care and force expecting parents to endure unimaginable trauma in an already unthinkable situation,” Wyden said. “While Republicans are full steam ahead with their crusade against reproductive freedom and the right to privacy, Democrats are focused on tackling inflation and cutting costs for working families.”

Existing law already ensures that all babies, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, are equally protected under the law codified in the bipartisan Born-Alive Infant Protections Act of 2002, which passed the Senate unanimously. 

S.6 is legislation designed to fix a problem that doesn’t exist and would, instead, force physicians to adhere to new mandates that are not based in medicine or science, making it even harder  for women to have access to necessary health care, Wyden said. The bill’s overly broad and vague language indicates that induced labor of a fetus with a fatal diagnosis could potentially be considered an “attempted abortion” and would subject medical providers to up to five years in prison for not following the requirements of the bill. 

This bill would create far-reaching and tragic consequences for grieving families. Doctors and parents should be able to determine what compassionate medical interventions are pursued when the fetus has a fatal condition—not politicians, Wyden said.