Cori Bush, D-Mo., claimed transgender people need medication abortions in order to deal with “anti-LGBTQ” bans on chemical and surgical sex change operations on minors during a hearing on women’s health Monday.
In a House meeting, the progressive “Squad member” spoke out against GOP state bans on abortion, including a pregnancy termination induced by a cocktail of pills. Bush argued that the medications were “life-saving,” and no different to taking over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol. However, “serious adverse events,” such as death, have been reported in a few cases to the FDA.
The pregnancy is terminated when a drug called mifepristone blocks a hormone – progesterone – which is secreted during the first few weeks of pregnancy. The patient follows up with another drug called misoprostol.
“Usually mifepristone, together with misoprostol, is a 97.7% effective way to terminate a pregnancy. Misoprostol is used worldwide and already accounts for over 50% of abortions in this country. Medication abortion is a lifeline,” she said.
“Banning medication abortion would be like placing a ban on Tylenol, a ban on antibiotics. There is no valid medical reason to do so. It’s only political propaganda,” she said.
“It’s a lifeline for the person working multiple jobs who can’t afford to take the day off work because wages are too low, or they don’t have paid sick leave. It’s a lifeline for the mom of two who can’t afford childcare or who can’t find that affordable childcare. It’s a lifeline for the person who lives hundreds of miles away from the nearest clinic and does not have reliable transportation. It’s a lifeline for the trans folks who face transphobia and bigotry because of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and outrageous bans on gender-affirming care.”
Bush was referring to GOP states taking action against chemical and surgical interventions on children such as cross hormones and body modification surgeries to the genitals and chest.
Bush has been candid about her experiences getting abortions, two while she was a teenager.
“It was really difficult because I’m telling this story before the world,” Bush explained about sharing her story during a House hearing in 2021.
In 2022, Bush described her experience as a 19-year-old Harris-Stowe State University student who changed her mind about having her second abortion. She told her medical providers, “No, I’m not ready,” but they ignored her plea and continued with the procedure anyway.
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“I thought I was ready… I laid there and started to think, well, one, I didn’t tell the father that that was about to happen… and I just felt like I needed more time.” Bush said. “So I said, ‘No, you know what, I’m not ready.’ And the nurse just, you know, wouldn’t listen to me.”
“They absolutely ignored me,” Bush said. “And I’m saying, ‘No,’ but it was too late, because you couldn’t stop once it started.”
When asked why she thought no one in the clinic listened to her, Bush responded, “The same as the other times I haven’t been listened to by a provider… or medical staff. I was a young, Black woman.”
Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
