[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H11362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 OPPOSING THE PRESIDENT'S SHAMEFUL VETO OF THE PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION 
                                  PLAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. Watts] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor tonight on 
behalf of the thousands of Oklahomans and millions of Americans who 
have swamped our offices with letters, phone calls, postcards and many, 
many petitions in opposition to the President's shameful veto of the 
partial birth abortion ban.
  I have here a stack of petitions with thousands of names that 
concerned Oklahomans gathered throughout the State. The citizens were 
practicing their constitutional right and constitutional responsibility 
to petition their government with their grievances. I was proud to have 
these names with me on the floor of the House and to share them with my 
colleagues last Thursday when this body voted to override the 
President's veto.
  Today I bring them to the floor once again on the day of the vote in 
the other Chamber. Regretfully the Senate did not garner the necessary 
vote total to complete the task of overriding the President's veto that 
allows this brutal procedure to continue.
  I believe it is critical that we continue working in the 105th 
Congress to bring to an end this brutal late-term abortion procedure.

                          ____________________