Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice California Director Denounces U.S. Representative Mike Garcia for Voting Against House Resolution 1153
For Immediate Release: Friday, October 2, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
NARAL Pro-Choice California Director Denounces U.S. Representative Mike Garcia for Voting Against House Resolution 1153
California Rep. opposed resolution condemning forced sterilization of immigrant women in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody
California — Today, U.S. Representative Mike Garcia (CA-25) joined 155 of his fellow congressional Republicans in voting against House Resolution 1153, which condemns the heinous acts of forced sterilization of immigrant women in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
House Resolution 1153—which passed today by a vote of 232-156—was introduced by Representatives Jayapal (D-WA), Kuster (D-NH), Jackson Lee (D-TX), Garcia (D-IL) and Frankel (D-FL) in response to whistleblower reports of forced sterilizations at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla, GA.
In response to Garcia’s vote, NARAL Pro-Choice California Director Shannon Olivieri Hovis released the following statement:
“The United States has a shameful legacy of using reproductive oppression and forced sterilization as a weapon of control in the name of white supremacy. Today, Rep. Garcia betrayed the people of California by voting against a resolution to condemn the barbaric forced sterilization of immigrant women. Not only is California a national leader in safeguarding reproductive freedom, it’s also home to more immigrants than any other state in the nation.
NARAL Pro-Choice California and our 295,000 members are committed to standing by our partners in the immigrants rights, racial justice, and reproductive justice movements to call out and put an end to these unspeakable acts of violence. And we will fight like hell to hold politicians like Mike Garcia accountable for enabling cruel and racist systems designed to control marginalized communities, and women of color in particular.”
Reproductive oppression is a weapon used to prop up authoritarianism and white supremacy—and there can be no reproductive freedom without freedom from this tyranny. NARAL stands by partners in their calls to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), shut down Irwin Detention Center, ensure real accountability and dismantle this cruel and racist system. NARAL will factor the votes on this resolution into its scores for Representatives in the annual NARAL Congressional Record on Choice.