Senator asks men to imagine not having 'authority over own body' in passionate speech on abortion

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging men to think about how they would react if their body autonomy was decided by an authority. The Democrat gave a passionate speech against banning abortion after a leaked Supreme Court opinion revealed that Roe v. Wade would be overturned, enabling states to implement their own laws surrounding abortion, contraception and so on. Gillibrand said the potential decision to overturn the judgment was "bone-chilling" and labeled the battle over abortion rights in the U.S. the “biggest fight of a generation.” The New York senator called on her congressional colleagues to pass the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA). "I would like to speak to America's men for one minute. And imagine you do not have authority over your own body for 10 months. Imagine if that decision-making would be taken away even if you would die in childbirth. Even if you couldn't decide who you were having children with, even if you couldn't decide when you were having that child,” she said, reported Fox News.

"I don't think a man in America could actually imagine not having control of his body, his bodily functions, what happens to him, and what life would be like, for 10 months," she said. Gillibrand also reserved strong words for Supreme Court judges. "It is an outrage that we have five justices on the Supreme Court who lied, lied in their confirmation hearings in order to be confirmed … that in America today our judicial system is so corrupted and so politicized and no longer representative of the will of the people," said Gillibrand. "Five justices said they respect precedent. Five said that Roe v. Wade was an established precedent. Five said they would never undermine established precedent. It is unconscionable what this decision will do to the American people."

Conservative state governments across the country have been finding loopholes to implement restrictive antiabortion laws. The matter was referred to the Supreme Court and the first noise from the top court is definitely leaning toward overturning Roe v. Wade. Gillibrand hit out at the draft opinion that was published by Politico last week. "It is barbaric, it is inhumane, it is unacceptable, and I hope every human being in this country understands that when you take away a woman's right to make her decisions about her health and well-being, she is no longer a full citizen," she said. "She no longer has freedom, she no longer has bodily autonomy, she no longer has basic civil rights or civil liberties. That is what this decision would do in America today."

Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves has made it evident that the Supreme Court's potential decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was only a starting point for the conservative movement. “While this is a great victory for the pro-life movement, it is not the end. In fact, it’s just the beginning,” said Reeves of the draft opinion, reported The Guardian. Gillibrand hit back at Reeves’ comments. “I thought he was quite paternalistic towards women. He doesn’t look at women as full citizens,” she said.

Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said the decision will set back women's rights by many decades. “The court is looking at reversing 50 years of women’s rights, and the fall will be swift. Over 20 states have laws [to ban] in place already. Who should make this decision, should it be a woman and her doctor, or a politician? Should it be Ted Cruz…or a woman and her family? Justice Alito is literally not just taking us back to the 1950s, he’s taking us back to the 1850s,” said Klobuchar. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would call a vote to codify abortion rights into federal law forcing senators to take a position on the matter.