UPDATE - Representatives Hilda Solis and Louise Slaughter Address the House on MISSING Information About Women

(June 25, 2004)

On June 22, 2004, Congresswomen Solis (D-CA) and Slaughter (D-NY) addressed the House in a special order speech on the administration's policies and practices regarding violence against women and reproductive health.

In her speech, Congresswoman Solis stated: "American women have a fundamental right to seek public information that is clear, easily accessible, and not contaminated by ideology." As was reported in MISSING, Rep. Solis mentioned the Attorney General's report on discrimination against women victims of domestic violence, due under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 2001. Although this report was completed by the Women's Law Project in 2003, it has still not been released by the Attorney General's office.

Congresswoman Solis also mentioned the "Healthy Marriage" proposal for welfare reauthorization, and the administration's failure to address the serious problem of domestic violence for battered women in marriage promotion programs. CLICK HERE to read NCRW's report on this topic.

Congresswoman Slaughter, in her speech, spoke of the administration's record on women's reproductive health issues. Slaughter focused specifically on the use of ideology over science in many recent policy decisions dealing with reproductive health, such as the promotion of abstinence over condoms, new laws favoring fetal rights over women's rights, and other policies which restrict abortions. See also, NCRW's report on the FDA's recent decision prohibiting the over-the-counter use of the emergency contraception, Plan B.

Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Denise Majette (D-GA), and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) all made comments in support of the special order. Read the Congresswomen's speeches and comments in the Congressional Record for June 22, 2004 (PDF).

Visit Congresswoman Solis's website:
http://solis.house.gov/HoR/CA32/English/Home+Page.htm
Read the full text of Congresswoman Solis's speech:
http://www.ncrw.org/misinfo/solis_speech.htm


Visit Congresswoman Slaughter's website:
http://www.slaughter.house.gov/HoR/NY28/Home.htm
Read the full text of Congresswoman Slaughter's speech:
http://www.ncrw.org/misinfo/slaughter_speech.htm

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