Sen. Hirono speaks out against proposed nationwide abortion ban

On the US Senate floor today, Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke against the “radical” nationwide abortion ban recently introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Despite previous Republican statements that abortion laws should be decided by the states, Sen. Graham’s bill would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy across the country, including in states like Hawaiʻi where abortion currently remains legal.

“When the extreme far-right Supreme Court overturned Roe, my Republican colleagues lauded this horrendous decision, claiming that a woman’s right to an abortion should be left to the states,” Sen. Hirono said. “But now they are admitting what we knew all along. This was never about states’ rights. This has always been about republicans using their power to control women and our bodily autonomy.”

Sen. Hirono highlighted the hypocrisy of the Republican proposal and the very real threat it poses to women and communities in states like Hawaiʻi.

“This is not some sort of hypothetical debate, or ‘hysteria’ as some of my Republican colleagues have claimed,” Hirono said. “If Republicans take control of the Senate, we now know what they will do — they will work to pass a national abortion ban. And for voters in states who are pushing back against their radical legislators, and exercising their right to bring the issue of abortion to the ballot — including states like Kansas and Michigan — this bill would overrule their efforts.”

Senator Hirono’s full remarks can be viewed here.