[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 120 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S9157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF MOTHER TERESA

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, Mother Teresa, truly a saint, died last 
week at age 87. I think we have all talked about her and the fact she 
dedicated her life to helping the poor and the sick, the dying around 
the world, particularly in India. But I remember so well a morning on 
February 3, 1994. It was a National Prayer Breakfast. We had invited 
Mother Teresa to come and be our speaker. She did not reject. She just 
said, well, if the Lord is willing, I will be there. And we said, do 
you think he will be willing? And she wasn't too sure.
  Nonetheless, she did show up and we had an audience of 3,000 people 
in the hotel, including the President and his wife, and the Vice 
President and Mrs. Gore, and congressional leaders, people from all 
over the Hill and from all over America. Every State was represented, 
almost every country was represented, and, of course, in addition to 
that there was a television audience of millions.
  Mother Teresa gave really an extraordinary speech. It was referred to 
by columnist Cal Thomas as ``the most startling and bold proclamation 
of truth to power I have heard in my more than 30 professional years in 
Washington.''
  I think a lot of us know Peggy Noonan. She was the speech writer for 
Ronald Reagan. She called it ``a breathtaking act of courage.''
  In describing it she said Mother Teresa was introduced and spoke of 
God and love and families. She said, ``We must love one another and 
care for one another.'' And she described it that there were ``great 
purrs of agreement'' from the audience. And I remember that so well 
because I was one who was purring.
  But the speech became more pointed at that moment.
  Mother Teresa--and I am quoting now, Mr. President--said:

       I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is 
     abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct 
     killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. 
     And if we accept that a mother can kill her own child, how 
     can we tell people not to kill one another?

  She said:

       By abortion, the mother does not learn to love but kills 
     even her own child to solve her problems. And, by abortion, 
     the father is told that he does not have to take any 
     responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the 
     world. That father is likely to put other women into the same 
     trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion.

  Then she said:

       Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its 
     people to love, but to use any violence to get what they 
     want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is 
     abortion.

  Mrs. Noonan described the scene:

       For about 1.3 seconds there was complete silence, then 
     applause built up and swept across the room. But not 
     everyone: the President and the First Lady, the Vice 
     President and Mrs. Gore looked like seated statues at Madame 
     Tussaud's, glistening in the lights and moving not a muscle.

  I remember when Mother Teresa then looked over at President and Mrs. 
Clinton and she said:

       Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give 
     me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be 
     aborted and to give that child a married couple who will love 
     the child and be loved by the child.
       From here, a sign of care for the weakest of weak--the 
     unborn child--must go out to the world. If you become a 
     burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really 
     you will be truest to what the founders of this country stood 
     for.

  Mr. President, we must revere Mother Teresa for what she was, the 
saint that she was, and we must remember her. But I think most of all 
we must listen to her. I repeat: ``Any country that accepts abortion is 
not teaching its people to love but to use any violence to get what 
they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is 
abortion.''
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hagel). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 10 
minutes as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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