Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Condemn Election of Mike Johnson as House Speaker

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) released the following statement in response to Mike Johnson’s election as Speaker of the House:

“With an extreme record that includes supporting a complete nationwide abortion ban, Mike Johnson may hold the title of Speaker, but he does not speak for us or for the American people’s pro-choice majority. The Pro-Choice Caucus stands ready to counter the GOP’s extreme anti-choice, anti-freedom agenda — no matter who is holding the gavel.

“Today, tomorrow, and every day, we will never back down from our efforts to safeguard reproductive freedom for all. If the Speaker of the House will not speak for the people, we will.”

The new Speaker holds the following record on reproductive rights:

• Cosponsored and advocated for a complete nationwide abortion ban.
• Referred to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which has already ushered in harsh state abortion restrictions, surging maternal mortality, near-fatal delays in miscarriage management care, and other disastrous health and safety consequences, as a “joyful day” and “good for our nation.”
• Called for abortion providers to face imprisonment and hard labor.
• Proposed forced pregnancy as a policy solution for Social Security and Medicare, saying if women were compelled to bring more “able-bodied workers” into the world, Republicans would not need to slash the programs.
• Said that whether men do or do not use contraceptive measures is a personal choice, but abortion is not.
• Signed his name to, and supported, over a dozen pieces of extreme legislation which would make it harder for Americans to access abortion care, open physicians to retaliatory legal action for providing abortion care to their patients, defund Planned Parenthood, restrict access to reproductive care for servicemembers and veterans, and legitimize anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers — facilities known to spread disinformation and prey on vulnerable people to prevent them from accessing abortion care.
• Sponsored multiple pieces of anti-choice legislation and repeatedly used his platform to stoke fear and spread disinformation about abortion care, providers, and patients.