[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 7 (Monday, January 22, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S282-S283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     ANNIVERSARY OF ROE VERSUS WADE

 Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today marks the 23d anniversary of 
the monumental Supreme Court decision, Roe versus Wade, which legalized 
abortion nationwide and affirmed the right of all American women to 
choose safe, legal abortion services. I join Americans across the 
country in commemorating this important day in our history.
  Yet this is a bittersweet celebration. We are still fighting to 
safeguard our rights, and battles are being waged on many fronts. Each 
year, antichoice forces in Congress use the appropriations process to 
erode women's abortion rights every chance they get. In 1995, they were 
successful in denying Federal workers abortion coverage in their health 
benefit packages. They will try again this year for more victories.
  On this special anniversary, we must remember those who have suffered 
and lost their lives because of their commitment to protecting the 
health of women in our country. Increasingly, the radical minority in 
the antiabortion crusade has turned to violence to pursue their agenda, 
with blatant disregard for who is caught in their crossfire. Over the 
last several years, I, like so many Americans, have been greatly 
disturbed by images of clinics under siege by vandals and arsonists, 
and horrified by reports of doctors murdered because they perform 
abortions--a legal procedure. We cannot let our reproductive rights be 
taken away because of a threat of violence, nor can we allow the 
actions of radical fanatics to dictate our Nation's public policy 
decisions. Just as our clinics are under attack, so too are our 
personal freedoms.
  Emboldened by their momentum, Mr. President, antiabortion forces in 
both Houses of Congress passed H.R. 1833, the so-called Partial Birth 
Abortion Ban Act of 1995. By their own admission, this is the first 
step in the antichoice movement's strategy to deny women their right to 
choose -- one procedure at a time. This legislation is an affront to 
the women of this country, and an unprecedented intrusion into the 
autonomy of medical professionals to determine the best methods of care 
for their patients. I am reminded today of the frustration I felt 
during debate of this bill, of the misinformation and divisive rhetoric 
infused in the conversation.
  The antichoice majorities in Congress may have forgotten that most 
Americans feel abortion should be legal. They may also have forgotten 
about the days of back-alley abortions and women dying of infection 
from unsanitary procedures. Well, I haven't 

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forgotten and I will do whatever I can to ensure the days of the back-
alley abortion, a virtual death sentence for women, remain a tragic 
thing of the past. Let today remind us that, for now at least, the law 
is on our side.
  I urge President Clinton to join us today in commemorating this 
landmark anniversary. And I respectfully request that he deliver on his 
promise to veto H.R. 1833. The women of this country are counting on 
him to do what is right. I know he will not let us down.

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