House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke out on Texas' controversial abortion law, telling MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell that measures like the one in Texas put the "discretion of a woman to make judgments" at risk.
In an interview set to air Thursday, Pelosi, noting that she is a Catholic mother of five, said such measures ignore how reproductive rights are critical to women's health.
"What is at risk is the discretion of a woman to make judgements about the size and.. timing of her family. It's respect for the judgement of women about what is good for them, for their families, their health," Pelosi said. "The reality is that people in our country do practice birth control and use contraception."
Pelosi added, "I don't know if my colleagues need a lesson on the birds and the bees. I really don't get it."
Last week, the Texas state Senate passed the sweeping anti-abortion legislation that was thrust into the national spotlight when state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) filibustered the bill last month. The measure, which drew thousands of protesters to the state Capitol, would ban abortion after 20 weeks and would require abortions to be performed in surgical centers. Just five of the state's 42 clincs currently meet the surgical center standard.
Several other state legislatures, including in North Carolina, have advanced similar measures in recent weeks.
Pelosi also spoke out on the recent reproductive rights battles in an interview with ThinkProgress last month.
"It’s a fight on family planning, contraception, as well as terminating a pregnancy and without having adequate protections for women in case of rape or incest, life of the mother," Pelosi said. "It’s so hypocritical… [Republicans] don’t believe in government…except when it comes to the bedroom."