[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E1686]]



PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION BAN ACT OF 1995--VETO MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 
               OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 104-198)

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JOEL HEFLEY

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 1996

  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, today we will vote on whether to override 
President Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act which 
this body passed on November 1, 1995. The House voted overwhelmingly to 
ban this procedure, however, despite these earlier votes, this 
procedure is still being carried out today.
  After many months of testimony and debate on this issue, and after 
seeing and hearing the grizzly details of this procedure, Congress 
voted to end its practice.
  Dishearteningly, the cries of the children and those of their parents 
were ignored by the President when he vetoed this bill. Since the time 
of that veto, I have received over 2,000 letters and postcards from my 
constituents. All of these letters expressed the shock and sorrow they 
felt that the partial-birth abortion procedure was not brought to an 
end. These letters asked, pleaded, begged, and prayed that this 
Congress, that this House--the people's House--vote once again on this 
issue. They asked us, their representatives in Government, to vote 
again and override the President's veto. They asked us to ban partial-
birth abortions.
  I had hoped that we would not have had to vote on this again. I had 
hoped that the President would have joined this Congress to ban the 
cruel procedure that my colleagues here have so clearly described. 
Unfortunately, the President did not join with this Congress, nor did 
he join with the people of this great country in banning this 
procedure--he vetoed this bill. So, it is with a purposeful will and a 
compassionate heart that I ask my House colleagues to vote yes on this 
vote and override the President's veto and ban this callous act of 
partial-birth abortions.

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