[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 4 (Friday, January 23, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E43]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E43]]
     RECOGNIZING THE LANDMARK SUPREME COURT DECISION OF ROE V. WADE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 23, 2004

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 31st 
anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, a decision 
that recognized the fundamental right to privacy extends to a woman's 
decision whether or not to have an abortion with freedom from 
government intrusion. Roe transformed women's experiences in many ways: 
saved their lives, protected their health, fostered equality and paved 
the way for greater partnership with men in all aspects of our nation's 
life.
  This anniversary is an occasion for celebration, but also one for 
grave concern. At a time when the majority of state legislatures, the 
White House, and both houses of Congress are under anti-choice control, 
not to mention, the U.S. Supreme Court hanging in the balance, America 
is at risk of losing Roe v. Wade and the core values of privacy and 
freedom embodied in it.
  I believe Congress should continue the historic principles handed 
down in Roe by using our influence to plan for healthy families, 
prevent unintended pregnancies and protect a woman's right to choose.
  Anti-choice politicians, however, are attacking the right to choose 
from every angle. In the past year alone, they have pushed through a 
significant increase in state restrictions on the right to choose, as 
well as the first ever criminalization of safe abortion procedures, 
better known as the so-called ``partial birth'' abortion. President 
Bush went even further by placing extreme anti-choice ideologues on the 
federal courts, took away access to contraception, stripped foreign 
family planning clinics of desperately needed U.S. funds, and shifted 
priorities away from family planning services to unproven abstinence 
only programs.
  If these drastic measures weren't enough, I have only more bad news 
to share; it's very likely we'll find this year in Congress to be much 
of the same. just yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee began markup 
of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Proponents of this bill claim 
this legislation will protect unborn children from assault and murder, 
a mere smokescreen for the real intent of it's passage, another sneak 
attack on a woman's right to choose. Instead, Congress could enact 
serious and meaningful laws that prevent and punish violence and 
provide services to women and their families--which I would strongly 
support.
  So, on this anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I ask my colleagues to stand 
up for the pro-choice majority in this country, especially those in the 
13th District of California, and act immediately and powerfully to 
safeguard our liberty or it will be lost. The time to act is now.

                          ____________________