{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cohen-defends-access-reproductive-health-services-judiciary", "Congressman Cohen Defends Access to Reproductive Health Services at Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing", "2026-04-28", "2026", "2026-04", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", "cohen", "https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today questioned the premise of a Republican-inspired hearing on efforts to eliminate FACE Act safeguards. In his remarks, Congressman Cohen said recent blockade outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Memphis, where performing abortions is a felony, \u201cwas about intimidation\u201d and denied women access to essential health services and primary care.\n\nThe Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act has been the law since 1994 and prohibits obstruction of access to reproductive health services facilities.\n\nIn his remarks, Congressman Cohen said in part:\n\n\u201cDemocrats are fighting to ensure that every American can access high-quality health care, practice their faith freely, and rely on the rule of law. The majority (Republicans), however, seeks to hand individual health care decisions to a handful of radical activists, impose their preferred religious views on everyone else, and give cover to lawbreakers\u2014even violent ones\u2014when it benefits them politically\u2026\n\n\u201cIn December, seventeen people were arrested for blocking access to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Memphis\u2014the only one remaining in the area, just blocks from my home. The other clinic had been forced to close because of the Administration\u2019s deep Medicaid cuts. These protesters weren\u2019t stopping abortions. Abortion in Tennessee is a felony at all stages of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The people entering that clinic were seeking routine, preventive services like blood pressure checks, breast cancer screenings, and STI treatment. It functions like any other doctor\u2019s office, accepting insurance and serving patients whose reasons for visiting vary and are private. This wasn\u2019t about protecting life\u2014it was about intimidation and imposing one group\u2019s beliefs on everyone else\u2026\n\n\u201cHere\u2019s the kicker: some of those arrested were anti\u2011choice activists whom President Trump had recently pardoned for earlier FACE Act violations. These individuals had already been convicted of obstructing access to reproductive health care. The FACE Act plays a critical role in protecting the rights of patients and providers. This Administration and the MAGA movement want to dismantle it. Repealing the FACE Act would give political and legal cover to people who believe they can decide who should\u2014and should not\u2014receive health care.\n\n\u201cThis is not about religion\u2014and certainly not about religious freedom\u2026Repealing the FACE Act would elevate one narrow set of beliefs at the expense of all others. That is the opposite of religious liberty.\u201d\n\nCongressman Cohen said that the Committee should be reviewing President Trump\u2019s misuse of the pardon power and unlawful executive orders that overstep Congress\u2019 Article 1 authorities.\n\nSee his entire remarks here.\n\nWitnesses at today\u2019s hearing were:\n\nJessica Waters, senior scholar in residence, Justice, Law and Criminology, American University;\n\nChris Ferrara, Senior Counsel, Thomas More Society;\n\nRoger Severino, VP of Economic and Domestic Policy, The Heritage Foundation; and\n\nEva Edl, convicted FACE Act defendant\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-05-07T13:38:59Z", "2026-05-07T13:40:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cohen-defends-access-reproductive-health-services-judiciary"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7190552316606045, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}