00:00Thank you. Wow.
00:04Well, thanks so much. It's wonderful to be here with Congressman Pallone, who has been such a champion for us.
00:12The former chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, his leadership and his tireless advocacy for the patients who walk through these very doors has been tremendous.
00:23And I hope in the very near future, I will be calling you chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee again.
00:30Thank you also to Dr. Talman and Assemblywoman Lopez, who could not be here with us, but who is such a champion herself.
00:37Partners, I'm really proud to stand with as we fight to protect reproductive health care in our state.
00:44And of course, thank you to Alexis McGill Johnson.
00:47Your leadership at Planned Parenthood Action Fund is absolutely critical right now.
00:52So we're here because Donald Trump and House Republicans are attacking Planned Parenthood and stripping away access to basic health care from millions of American families.
01:04And for years, Republicans have been chipping away at women's reproductive rights with one clear goal to ban abortion and restrict access to essential care.
01:15And this bill is just another dangerous step toward that goal.
01:19This legislation blocks Medicaid patients from getting care at Planned Parenthood.
01:24It cuts off access to birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and abortion.
01:30It punishes people for where they get their care, putting politics between patients and their doctors.
01:37And here in New Jersey, Planned Parenthood is a trusted provider.
01:41In 2024 alone, health centers across our state saw more than 123,000 patients providing 140,000 cycles of birth control, 170,000 STI and HIV tests and 13,000 cancer screenings.
01:59One in three of those patients relied on Medicaid.
02:03And this care is essential.
02:04It's how people plan their futures.
02:06It's how people protect their health.
02:08And this bill puts it all at risk.
02:10Sadly, three of my Republican colleagues from New Jersey, Tom Kane Jr., Chris Smith and Jeff Andrew, voted for it.
02:18They turned their backs on the New Jerseyans they should be representing.
02:23We've already seen what happens in states that try this.
02:26In Texas, patients lost access.
02:29Unintended pregnancies went up and cervical cancer rates rose.
02:32Indiana's closures contributed to an HIV outbreak.
02:37Iowa lost more than 80% of its family planning services.
02:41These are the real consequences of letting ideology drive health care policy.
02:47Even right here in New Jersey, cuts to Planned Parenthood have led to serious consequences.
02:54In 2010, Governor Chris Christie defunded Planned Parenthood, and STIs went up by nearly 27% over the next five years.
03:04That's what we are talking about.
03:06I fought against this bill in Congress because I know what's at stake.
03:10I know how many families rely on this care.
03:13And I'll keep fighting to restore these services and protect reproductive health care here in New Jersey.
03:19I'm proud to stand with Planned Parenthood, the health care providers here today, and every patient who walks through these doors.
03:26No one should lose access to care because of their income, their zip code, or the politics of the moment.
03:32Thank you again for having me, and it is now my honor to introduce someone who's been leading this fight every step of the way,
03:39Alexis McGill Johnson.
Comments