On Thursday, Democratic Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) testified during a Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing, referred to women as “birthing people,” and then called to defend black mothers and black babies, despite being pro-choice.
“Every day, Black birthing people and our babies die because our doctors don’t believe our pain. My children almost became a statistic. I almost became a statistic,” Rep. Bush tweeted, sharing a video of her testimony.
“I testified about my experience @OversightDems today,” she continued. “Hear us. Believe us. Because for so long, nobody has.”
Every day, Black birthing people and our babies die because our doctors don’t believe our pain. My children almost became a statistic. I almost became a statistic.
I testified about my experience @OversightDems today.
Hear us. Believe us. Because for so long, nobody has. pic.twitter.com/rExrMXzsSQ
— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) May 6, 2021
During her testimony, she recalled two stories of her own children and pregnancies while criticizing the treatment of black pregnant women.
“Bush, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, proceeded to share how her doctor and hospital staff did not pay attention to her when she expressed concerns about severe pains when she was pregnant with her son Zion,” noted the Daily Caller. “Because her doctor did not take her seriously, Bush said, her son was born at only 23 weeks, weighed one pound, and had translucent skin.”
After describing her experience with her son Zion, Rep. Bush continued.
“Two months later, I was pregnant again, so I went back to [the doctor who had allegedly dismissed Bush’s concerns]. At 16 weeks, I went for an ultrasound at the clinic and saw a different doctor who was working that day. I found out again I was in preterm labor.”
Then, Bush proceeded to claim that her doctor encouraged her to let the pregnancy abort and that she could get pregnant again because “that’s what you people do.”
“The doctor told me that the baby was going to abort. I said, ‘No, you have to do something.’ But he was adamant. He said, ‘Just go home. Let it abort. You can get pregnant again because that’s what you people do.’ My sister Kelli was with me. We didn’t know what to do after the doctor left,” said Rep. Bush. “So we saw a chair sitting in the hallway. My sister picked up the chair and she threw it down the hallway. Nurses came running from everywhere to see what was wrong. A nurse called my doctor, and she put me on a stretcher. The next morning, my doctor came in and placed a cerclage on my uterus, and I was able to carry my baby, my daughter, my Angel, who is now 20-years-old. My son, who was saved, is now 21-years-old.”
Rep. Bush then took her anecdotal allegations of specific doctors and concluded that the entire medical system — the system that also saved her two children’s lives — is racist and denies the humanity of black women.
“This is what desperation looks like: that chair flying down a hallway,” Rep. Bush exclaimed. “This is what being your own advocate looks like. Every day, black women are subjected to harsh and racist treatment during pregnancy and childbirth. Every day, black women die because the system denies our humanity. It denies us patient care.”
Rep. Bush concluded by declaring that her goal is to protect black mothers, black babies, and black “birthing people.”
“I sit before you today as a single mom, as a nurse, as an activist, and as a Congresswoman, and I am committed to doing the absolute most to protect black mothers, to protect black babies, to protect black birthing people, and to save lives,” Rep. Bush said.
According to the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, more than 19,000,000 black babies have been aborted since 1973, with black women having the “highest abortion ratio in the country.” Rep. Bush is a pro-choice advocate and has called for the Hyde Amendment to be abolished.