[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H8703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    UNBORN CHILD PAIN AWARENESS ACT

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the House is scheduled to 
consider H.R. 6099, the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act. If passed, 
this bill would ensure that women are informed of the pain experienced 
by their unborn child at 20 weeks after fertilization.
  The bill also gives expecting mothers an opportunity to request pain 
medicine for their baby. Medical evidence asserts that an unborn child 
can feel pain at 20 weeks, if not earlier.
  According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control, 
approximately 1.4 percent of the abortions in the U.S. are performed at 
or after 20 weeks following fertilization. This means that nearly 
20,000 women are not given complete information regarding the 
excruciating pain experienced by their unborn child.
  Mr. Speaker, it is our responsibility as legislators and more 
importantly, as human beings to empower women, their husbands or 
partners with all the facts, and not merely a sugar-coated version of 
the truth.
  Therefore, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support 
women's right for information and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6099.

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