[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H454-H460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE PRO-LIFE CAUCUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cramer). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of 
our Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), my good friend and colleague.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Chris Smith, for 
his leadership on developing this hour, and all of my colleagues who 
are here to speak on this very important issue.
  This week marks the 41st anniversary of a Supreme Court decision 
which has denied 56 million children the right to life and denied the 
people of this Nation the ability to govern their country in a manner 
that aligns with their conscience. I thank my fellow Members for 
speaking today and marking this somber occasion.
  Life is a gift from God and should be cherished. It is my strong 
belief that life begins at conception, and few things demean the 
sanctity of human life more than elective abortion. The unborn are the 
most innocent members of our society, and the fact that their right to 
exist has not been recognized in 41 years is a stain on our Nation's 
character.
  As members of the Pro-Life Caucus, we have worked to eliminate 
taxpayer funding for abortion, fought to preserve pro-life health care 
providers' rights of conscience. We have followed medical research that 
indicates infants can feel pain in the womb as early as the 20th week 
of pregnancy and passed legislation that would eliminate abortion after 
that time.
  These are worthy pieces of legislation, but, Mr. Speaker, more must 
be done. I hope that the day will soon come when the Supreme Court sees 
fit to overturn Roe and allow the people the ability to eliminate the 
practice of elective abortion entirely.
  For as long as I have the privilege of serving in Congress, I will 
work to ensure unborn children, the most vulnerable members of our 
society, are protected.
  I thank my fellow Members here today who share that goal. Let us 
continue to work for the protection of innocent life.
  I thank my colleague again, Mr. Smith, from New Jersey.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I want to thank the gentlelady from North 
Carolina for her very eloquent remarks and for her leadership on behalf 
of the unborn and their mothers.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby).
  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey 
for his leadership in the Pro-Life Caucus and for organizing today's 
discussion.
  Of course, next week will mark 41 years since the landmark Supreme 
Court decision in ROE v. WADE, and since then, approximately 56 million 
unborn children have been aborted in the United States--56 million 
unborn children aborted.
  Recently, important legislative actions have been taken to defend the 
unborn and protect women from the brutality of late-term abortions. 
These include measures to tighten restrictions and raise health and 
safety standards for abortion providers.
  As we fight to increase protection for life under the law, I believe 
it is equally as important to promote the respect for life, emphasizing 
adoption as a loving alternative to abortion.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to highlight a very special 
organization in my State called AGAPE. AGAPE provides adoption 
services, counseling and outreach programs to mothers-to-be across 
central Alabama.
  Talk to anyone who has gone through either side of the adoption 
process, and they will tell you how challenging it is, and that is 
where AGAPE comes in.

                              {time}  1645

  AGAPE is there to find permanent nurturing families for children and 
to make sure all involved in the adoption process have the support they 
need. It is groups like AGAPE that help a woman with an unplanned 
pregnancy know about the loving, nonjudgmental way adoption works.
  It is groups like AGAPE that give children the hope and opportunity 
to

[[Page H455]]

grow up healthy and happy. It is groups like AGAPE that make it 
possible for families who don't think they can ever have children to 
experience the unique blessing of adoption and be made whole.
  Mr. Speaker, adoption is humanity's recognition of the miracle of 
life, an affirmation that every life matters and that each person has 
value in this world.
  As we here amongst my colleagues today reaffirm our commitment to 
protect life under the law, let us also take this opportunity to 
promote life by supporting birth mothers, adoptive parents, and 
organizations like AGAPE that connect them.
  I, again, thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his 
leadership.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mrs. Roby, thank you very much for, again, 
underscoring the viable option that is available and that is far too 
seldom selected, and that is the loving option of adoption.
  I now yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).
  Mr. LATTA. I appreciate the gentleman from New Jersey for his 
leadership on this all important issue and for the time here today.
  Mr. Speaker, next Wednesday, thousands from across the country, 
including hundreds of my constituents from northwest and west central 
Ohio who support the lives of the unborn, will gather in Washington, 
D.C., in recognition of the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court's ROE 
v. WADE decision.
  While the March for Life represents a somber occasion to reflect on 
the tens of millions of lives lost and the harm to women and families 
that has needlessly come about as the result of legalized abortion, it 
also represents an opportunity to strengthen our voices and renew our 
efforts in support for life across the country.
  We must make certain that our fight does not end here with the march. 
We must continue to be daily engaged and vigilant in protecting and 
defending the right to life of unborn children and ensure that Federal 
policies that openly seek to threaten those rights or curb them through 
limitations or veiled assaults on the exercise of conscience rights are 
defeated. Let us not forget that the preamble to our Declaration of 
Independence proclaims that life is our first absolute right.
  Thank you to the tens of thousands of Americans who spend their time 
and continue to dedicate their efforts to this vitally important cause. 
I am committed to fighting with you in defending the sanctity of life.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Latta, thank you very much for your 
leadership and for your compassion for the weakest and most vulnerable.
  I now yield to the gentleman from Illinois, Dan Lipinski, the cochair 
of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking Chairman Smith 
for all the work that he does, not just on this issue of protecting 
life of the unborn here in the United States but on human rights around 
the world.
  We all know that the first human right is the right to life, without 
which nothing else is possible. I am very proud to support the 
legislation the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) talked about 
that we are trying to move forward here in the House, to protect life. 
What a large majority of the American people want to do is to stop 
taxpayer funding of abortion.
  Today I want to talk about what is going on outside of the Capitol. 
Next week we have the March for Life here in Washington. Many people 
thought 41 years ago, with ROE v. WADE, that it was over, that the 
decision had been made and that there would be abortion and abortion 
on-demand here in the United States forever. But a year later, there 
was the first March for Life; now, the 40th March for Life. We will see 
hundreds of thousands of Americans come out here, so many young people 
coming out here to show their support for life, and I want to thank 
them for taking the time, making the effort to come out and speak for 
those who can't speak for themselves. I will be here next week to 
address the crowd before the march.
  In Chicago this coming Sunday, there will be tens of thousands who 
can't go to Washington who will be out for a March for Life. I will be 
there to address the crowd and, again, call for all of our leaders to 
embrace life and protect life.
  The gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby) talked about the other 
things that people are doing in the pro-life movement that is just so 
vitally important because it is not just about legislation. It is just 
not about protecting life through law, which we must do, but it is 
about adoption. Mrs. Roby talked very eloquently about all those who 
are involved in adoption out there, the tens of thousands who give 
their time, give their lives to adopt babies.
  We also have the crisis pregnancy centers who not only tell women who 
are pregnant about the option for them, but they provide for them. They 
provide food. They offer to provide diapers and other things, the trips 
to the doctor that are needed for women who are pregnant and who are 
considering having an abortion. I want to thank them for the work that 
they do.
  So here we are, 41 years after ROE v. WADE, and there is a vibrant 
pro-life movement still going on. I want to thank everyone who is part 
of that movement. I will keep working for changing the laws in this 
country. We have to change the hearts and minds of our leaders so we 
can change the laws and take care of the unborn and all those women out 
there who face this most difficult choice.
  I want to thank all of my colleagues who are standing up here with me 
today for the work that they are doing to protect the unborn.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my good friend and colleague for his 
leadership, for standing so strong, and for reminding everyone about 
the importance of the crisis pregnancy centers, which are a lifeline to 
so many women who might otherwise abort and make that irreversible 
decision. So thank you for underscoring that.
  I would like to yield to my good friend and colleague from Nebraska, 
who has also been a tremendous leader in the cause of life and human 
rights in general.
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. First of all, Mr. Speaker, let me thank my good 
friend from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his tireless leadership on this 
essential civil rights issue, to protect women and to protect children.
  Let me also thank my good friend Mr. Lipinski from Chicago. Each day, 
Members of Congress come down here and push and shove rhetorically, 
poke one another in the eye, and I think America is looking for a way 
to transcend this political bickering, this acrimony that exists down 
here. So it is very moving to me that the gentleman from Illinois, Dan 
Lipinski, would come here, join with many of us, and simply say a 
truth: that women deserve better than abortion. We can do better in 
this body. So I am very grateful for his leadership as well.
  Mr. Speaker, soon a Joint Session of Congress will gather for the 
State of the Union Address, celebrating our American Republic. We have 
much to celebrate as a country, but there are also very deep 
philosophical divides, and sometimes the tone of disagreement makes me 
wonder what happened to respect for the cherished notion of political 
opposition and the intellectual diversity that makes America truly 
great.
  Mr. Speaker, abortion is probably the toughest issue you will not 
hear about in the State of the Union Address. The violence of abortion 
has wounded our society deeply. For instance, the Gosnell case, which 
profiled late-term abortion atrocities in urban Philadelphia, shows 
what can happen when people become desensitized to death. Many wounds 
of abortion are invisible, but they are no less real.
  Mr. Speaker, so many persons are hurt by the act of abortion. They 
suffer silently when the culture that enticed them into an irreversible 
choice turns its back and refuses to acknowledge their pain.
  Mr. Speaker, with that said, there is also some good news. Those who 
have been hurt by abortion are speaking out. They are silent no more. 
Advancements in ultrasound technology are also providing a window on 
the delicate beauty of human life in the womb. Mr. Speaker, droves of 
young people are responding to the truth of science. They are 
increasingly pro-life, and many are coming here next week to celebrate 
that beautiful gift of life at the March for Life. These young people 
are recognizing that the womb is a sacred place

[[Page H456]]

where children should be safe. They believe that we should do 
everything possible to save both the mother and her child. They refuse 
to choose between mothers and their children. They are also not naive 
about the difficulties that some vulnerable women face when they find 
themselves pregnant, alone, or worse--threatened, coerced by an 
uncaring boyfriend, or worse yet, a medical doctor, into having an 
abortion.
  To those of you who do not stand with us, I would like to say this: I 
offer a hand of friendship. I am pro-life. I believe that women deserve 
better than abortion. Maybe there are some areas where we can work 
together, where possible, to let, first of all, the healing begin.
  As my good friend Dan Lipinski mentioned, maybe it is important in 
this area to end the taxpayer moneys that go to abortion providers 
because so many Americans oppose that use of their money as well. There 
is one other area that we should work on. Let's don't wrongfully 
discriminate against people, people of faith or who are of good 
conscience or who, through reason, lend themselves to a deeply held 
ethical belief. That does not allow them to be complicit in any way in 
health care, in their health care policy, in paying for the act of 
abortion.
  These are a few areas where I think we can transcend the political 
divide and do what is right and fair and just for women, children, and 
our society as a whole.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my friend for his very, very 
eloquent remarks.
  I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann.
  Mrs. BACHMANN. Thank you so much to my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith) who has long been the fearless leader of the issue of standing 
for the sacred right to life.
  One thing that we know in 41 years is that there has been a profound 
change in the United States. We can't lose 56 million innocent American 
lives and not be changed. Just to put it in context, 56 million means 
the entire population of my State of Minnesota more than 10 times over. 
That is how many of our fellow brothers and sisters have been lost 
through the carnage of abortion. That is the unborn.
  The other cost is the loss to 56 million American women, women who 
have had ongoing precious innocent human life literally pulled from 
their bodies.
  I am a woman. One thing that God has done, the Creator of all life, 
He privileged women to be the receptacles and the bearers of the next 
generation. I have been privileged to bear five beautiful children, to 
be a foster mother to an additional 23 children. I have been a mother 
28 times over. Is there any greater privilege?
  I weep and I mourn for women who have been lied to, women who were 
forced into undergoing this very violent procedure that, for many 
people, altered their lives forever. They can't deal with the guilt. 
They have turned to maybe drugs or alcohol to deal with the guilt.
  The good news is, a holy forgiving God makes a way out. He forgives, 
and He provides a way of opportunity for them.
  So 56 million unborn children, 56 million women, also 56 million 
fathers, 56 million who their child is the one that was unborn. I think 
we can do better.
  Ideas have consequences. When we embrace the idea that human life 
isn't sacred, that it is expendable, this is the result. I know that we 
can do better. We will do better, and I thank God that with the March 
for Life that is coming up next week, that we will stand together 
saying that there is a future, and there is a hope.
  I yield back to Representative Smith.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you very much, Michele, for those very 
sensitive remarks. I really appreciate your leadership.
  I now yield to my friend and colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Huizenga).
  Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. I appreciate the gentleman from New Jersey 
and the leadership that he has provided all of us in the Pro-Life 
Caucus.
  I am looking here at my phone. I wish I could share this on TV with 
everybody and everybody up in the gallery and with my colleagues. It is 
of someone very special named Sloan, and I am going to tell a story 
about her a little later.

                              {time}  1700

  It is of someone very special named Sloan, and I am going to tell a 
little story about her a little later.
  This is an inspiration as I am coming up here today to talk a little 
bit about this issue. The numbers, the statistics have been shared, and 
sometimes they ring hollow--it is just numbers. We have to attach the 
lives that have been affected by that, not only those children whose 
lives were lost, but the mothers, the fathers, the grandparents, those 
that lost that and have that void in their families. So, of course, we 
must continue to fight for the unborn.
  There is another story to be told, as well. That story is about those 
children that we cannot forget who need permanent, loving homes. Each 
year there are about 120,000 families--120,000 families--that navigate 
the adoption process and welcome new children into their lives. I am 
pleased to report that adoption rates in west Michigan where I 
represent are among the highest in the country. Bethany Christian 
Services is located in Grand Rapids. It is the largest adoption agency 
in America.
  I have a personal connection with the Lake Shore Pregnancy Center. My 
wife serves on the board of that fine organization, and there are so 
many others out there trying to provide those services. Our own church 
this past Sunday set up a Pack 'n Play. The challenge to all of us at 
the church was let's fill it. In fact, let's fill two of those Pack 'n 
Plays with all the needs that these mothers and these children have so 
we can provide the alternative to those young ladies oftentimes who are 
desperate and are looking for a way out. They are looking for an 
answer, and they don't know where to turn so often and have crisis 
pregnancy centers there to offer alternatives to death and destruction. 
It is something that we need to take very seriously, and I take 
seriously as a believer.
  The right-to-life groups where I served as my church's right-to-life 
representative for over 10 years, and was proud to do that, was able to 
be that voice and tirelessly promote the culture of life and strong 
families. I think that is something that we need to continue to do.
  I am struck by families in my own church, the Holwiendas and the 
Meyards, who have done not just one international adoption, but 
multiple international adoptions. Friends from school--my roommate in 
college and best friend from high school was adopted through Bethany 
Christian Services very early on. I think we cannot forget those faces 
and those lives that have become so productive and have changed our 
culture.
  I was especially touched this year--and this is where Sloan comes 
in--I was especially touched this year as I watched the life of a 
member of my own staff change when she and her husband adopted a little 
baby girl. She sent me this photo just a couple of minutes ago. The 
caption was, ``need some inspiration?'' And the photo of Sloan came 
up--yes, I think she has Spaghettios smeared on her face and all kinds 
of great stuff--as she is sitting in her highchair. But those are the 
things that we need to keep in mind when we are talking about life and 
the culture of life that we have.
  Let's change those statistics. More stories like this one can be 
told. More stories about Sloan and Steve and others that have been in 
our lives. These are stories that change lives, not just of those 
children, but it changes the lives of those adoptive parents, the 
grandparents, the aunts and the uncles and the friends. We are thrilled 
and celebrate those families that have made that choice, and we pray 
that the work that we do here can continue to help them make that 
choice.
  I thank my friend, the gentleman from New Jersey, for allowing me to 
be a part of this.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you very much. That story about Sloan 
was great.
  I would like to yield to the distinguished gentlelady from Missouri, 
a former U.S. Ambassador, Ann Wagner.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Thank you very much. I thank the gentleman for yielding 
and for organizing this Special Order. There is no greater defender of 
the unborn than Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, and I thank 
you

[[Page H457]]

for all that you do every single day for all of us.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of life. One week from today, 
sadly, is the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that made 
abortion legal in this country in ROE v. WADE. Even though the House 
will not be in session next week, I will be here to join many of my 
constituents as we march on the Mall. The first time that I marched on 
the Mall in support of the unborn, I was a 28-year-old pregnant mother 
pregnant with my second son, Stephen. I will be honored to march again 
in the Mall in memory this time, sadly, of the 56 million abortions 
that have taken place since that dreadful day 41 years ago.
  That is roughly one-fifth of the United States population whom we 
will never know. We will never derive the contributions to society that 
these nameless angels could have brought to the world. Even worse is 
the emotional and the physical pain that millions of women have endured 
in the days, months, and years after their abortion.
  Forty-one years after ROE v. WADE, I am heartbroken for the pain this 
decision has caused over the years; but I am also hopeful and I am 
inspired, inspired by the many young people who energized this movement 
who will join us next week on the Mall in Washington, D.C., whom I will 
be very pleased to host and to lift up. I am energized that this 
movement will have these young people standing beside me, and I stand 
beside them next week when we march, and together we will continue to 
work towards the day when abortion is not only illegal but it is 
unthinkable.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you very much, Ambassador, for your 
very eloquent comments.
  I would like to yield to my good friend and colleague from Michigan, 
Tim Walberg.
  Mr. WALBERG. I thank my friend from New Jersey, again, for this 
opportunity to stand for life. It will be exciting to have the 
demonstration, and I say that in a positive sense, a demonstration that 
is going on this next week, again, of people demonstrating that there 
is a love for life, for children, for women and for men, who have been 
caught in the lie of abortion, who have been sold a message that goes 
against, in most of their cases, goes against their normal, commonsense 
thought, a thought that says life is something that should be 
sustained, it should be seen as a blessing, and we should praise that 
opportunity.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife and I have always seen it as a high privilege to 
stand on a platform and look out across a crowd of hundreds of 
thousands of individuals who have love on their faces for life, for 
fellow humans, and for people caught in very difficult situations with 
a great desire to tell the truth that there is a difference, there is 
an opportunity that they can share with others that could experience 
hope.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, we sit in a Chamber that has above your rostrum 
the motto of the United States of America that says ``In God We 
Trust.'' And so rather than going on with further comments that I would 
make from my own thoughts, I would turn to the thoughts of God Himself, 
more specifically words that were uttered by a man, a king, a very wise 
king who was very human, as well, a king who was classified by God 
Himself as being a man after My own heart. And so what this man would 
say or would think if he were honored by God with that statement would 
be something we should hear.

  These words that King David uttered in Psalm 139 are words I believe 
that can be uttered by not only the 56 million aborted babies but every 
baby in the past and the future who experiences being a gift of God. 
David said:
  I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 
Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was 
not hidden from You, When I was made in secret . . . And skillfully 
wrought in the depths of the Earth . . . Your eyes have seen my 
unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that 
were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. (Psalms 
139:14-16 NASB).
  That talks of life as planned and as gifted by God in the womb, made 
for a purpose intended. And I thank God that I can stand here today, as 
a Member of Congress, as a father, as a husband, as a grandfather, and 
as one who loves life in all its forms humanly made by God as a gift. I 
thank the gentleman for allowing me this opportunity. God bless you.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you, Mr. Walberg.
  I would now like to yield to Randy Hultgren, the gentleman from 
Illinois.
  Mr. HULTGREN. Thank you, Chairman Smith. Thank you for your 
incredible work on this issue. I rise today to remember with sadness 
the 41 years since the Supreme Court's sweeping ROE v. WADE decision. 
More than 55 million have lost their lives to abortion; but after that 
fateful January, the pro-life movement was born. As Americans United 
for Life put it, the pro-life movement desires a Nation in which 
everyone is welcome in life and protected in law.
  Many warriors have taken up that cause. Next week, many thousands 
will make the pilgrimage to the March for Life here in Washington to 
mark and protest the havoc ROE v. WADE has left in its wake. Pro-life 
warrior, Nellie Gray, started the march, and this annual event has 
rallied Americans and exposed the brutality of this procedure.
  A country complicit in taking thousands of lives each day tarnishes a 
legacy of liberty and justice for all. Defending human life at all 
stages shouldn't be a political issue. Defending human life is a moral 
issue. It is a moral outrage and a violation of religious liberty for 
any American to be forced to participate in the funding of abortion.
  No one believed this more than the late Honorable Henry Hyde. Another 
warrior for life, and my hero and mentor, Henry Hyde represented the 
Illinois Sixth Congressional District for 33 years. His crowning 
achievement, the Hyde amendment, barred the use of taxpayer funds for 
abortion. Congress has reaffirmed this amendment over and over again.
  We must protect this principle by passing bills like the No Taxpayer 
Funding for Abortion Act, a bill which would make the Hyde amendment 
permanent and government-wide. No one should be coerced into paying for 
a procedure that violates their conscience.
  Another warrior for life, Irene Napier, is a woman who lives in the 
district I represent, the 14th District of Illinois. This Crystal Lake 
resident has dedicated her life to defending the unborn. Now president 
emeritus of Right to Life of McHenry County, through the years Irene 
has stood up to the truth that every child should be given a chance to 
be loved and wanted.
  Every human life has inherent dignity that is worth protecting. When 
we allow abortion, we are really saying that human lives are 
disposable, that we can throw away anything or anyone that 
inconveniences us. But people like Irene, Henry, and Nellie and all of 
us who claim to be pro-life know that notion is repugnant, and we 
reject it. Each child and each mother is a unique gift. No one--no 
one--should throw that gift away.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you very much, I say to my friend from 
Illinois.
  I would like to now yield to Mr. Huelskamp.
  Mr. HUELSKAMP. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I certainly appreciate your 
leadership. Long before I came here to this body, I have always 
considered you my personal hero. So I thank you for that continued 
leadership.
  Next week, we will see the 41st March for Life. I have been attending 
marches nearly for all of the last 20 years either here or in Kansas 
because protecting life is something I strongly believe in. I have 
believed in it enough to take part in the Summer of Mercy in Wichita, 
Kansas, despite the heat, the ridicule and threat of arrest. And I 
believed in it enough that my wife and I met doing pro-life work 
helping and encouraging women in crisis pregnancies.
  We believe in protecting life enough to have four adopted children. I 
still remember meeting our two daughters for the first time, at 
airports of all places. In Miami in 1999, I waited with my wife, 
nervously looking forward to that first glimpse, the first time we were 
going to hold our oldest daughter. In Kansas City 2 years later, this 
time my oldest daughter in one hand and a dozen roses in the other 
waiting for my wife to step off the plane with our second daughter. I 
still remember that

[[Page H458]]

ride home. My wife had a bright idea--a 3- and a 5-year-old--she said, 
maybe if we put their car seats together, they can learn to get along. 
That lasted about 15 minutes. But 400 miles later, we finally arrived 
home just in time for Christmas Eve Mass. And what a Christmas gift 
from a mother who chose life.
  Each day, more and more eyes are being opened to the horrors of 
abortion and the blessings of adoption. Each day, more and more young 
people are making the choice to stand up and defend life. And each day 
brings us closer to the time when it will no longer be legal for a 
mother and father to kill their baby just because a throwaway society 
tells them that little girl or that little boy doesn't fit in their 
plans.

                              {time}  1715

  We are getting closer to that goal to protect all innocent life from 
conception to natural death, but it will not happen without action. 
Action in Congress yes, but more importantly, action at home, action in 
our hearts, action in our families. We need to be talking and praying 
with our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers about the importance of 
protecting life and helping families in crisis pregnancies.
  If we want to see an end to abortion, it will happen because the 
hearts and minds of individual Americans were changed by our actions.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Huelskamp, thank you very much. And 
thank you for your work on the Pro-life Caucus. You have really stepped 
up, and it is deeply appreciated by all of us. Thank you so very much.
  I would like to now yield to, we have a number of pro-life doctors in 
the U.S. House of Representatives, and we have two with us today. 
First, beginning with the gentleman from Tennessee, Dr. Roe.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I must spend a 
moment or two talking about Congressman Chris Smith, who has been down 
here for three decades of his life advocating for life tirelessly.
  This Nation and the unborn owe this man right here a gift of thanks 
and gratitude. And I do, Mr. Smith, thank you very much for your work 
and leadership in this. It is truly amazing.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I once again, in my 5 
years in Congress, return to the House floor on this date, both as a 
father of three, a grandfather of two, and professionally an 
obstetrician and gynecologist. I have delivered close to 5,000 babies, 
and I strongly support the sanctity of life. Using technology like 3-D 
ultrasound has given us a window to the unborn as a living, breathing, 
feeling human being.
  I have looked through that window with my own eyes thousands of 
times. I have seen human development occur at its earliest stages of a 
baby's life all the way through birth, which strengthens my conviction 
in the right to life. I have lived in a small rural community in east 
Tennessee and watched these children I have delivered grow up to be 
doctors and nurses and professionals and teachers and to have their own 
children and families.
  Life is a precious miracle from God that does begin at conception. It 
is our responsibility and a privilege as legislators to protect those 
who don't have a voice. I will always fight for the right to life, 
because it is my conviction and belief that we are all unique creations 
of a God who knows us and loves us before we are even conceived. What a 
loving and caring God that is.
  Tonight we mark one of the most tragic, misguided Supreme Court cases 
in our Nation's history, ROE v. WADE. Since 1973, more than 55 million 
babies have been denied the right to life. We must make our laws 
consistent with our science and restore full legal protections to all 
who are waiting to be born. If government has any legitimate function 
at all, it is to protect those most innocent among us.
  For over 30 years, Congress has prevented taxpayer-funded abortions. 
Unfortunately, this door has been reopened with the passage of 
ObamaCare, the largest expansion since the pivotal ROE v. WADE 
decision. The Members who stand before you today have pledged 
themselves to protect those without a voice, and I look forward to 
working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure this 
promise is kept. It is only by making good on this oath that we can 
expect to restore the trust that the American people have in their own 
government, and in doing so, ensure that the door to taxpayer-funded 
abortions remains closed.
  I am glad to be here tonight on the House floor with other 
legislators fighting for the rights of the unborn. Mr. Speaker, I 
prayerfully ask that hearts and minds are changed.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you, Dr. Roe, for your very kind 
remarks, but more importantly, for your witness for life, particularly 
as an OB/GYN and for delivering those 5,000 babies.
  I would like to now yield to another doctor, Dr. Andy Harris, the 
gentleman from Maryland, who works often at Johns Hopkins, and a great 
defender of life and an eloquent spokesman.
  Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight on the 41st anniversary 
of ROE v. WADE. And put simply, my colleague from Tennessee said, the 
science is just wrong. ROE v. WADE, the decision, they just got it 
wrong.
  I entered premedical study in 1973, the year that ROE v. WADE was 
issued by the Court. I remember taking genetics courses as a premed. I 
remember learning about genetics, learning about human genetics.
  Then in 1975, when I went to medical school, I actually did a 
research project with one of the scientists who was mapping the human 
genome. I always remember one of the things we did which was kind of 
neat is we actually took one of our cells and stained the DNA. I still 
have the picture at home of my DNA.
  I remember the scientist telling me, you know, you look at that DNA 
and that is human DNA. It is not any other DNA. It cannot be mistaken 
for any other DNA. In fact, Mr. Speaker, as you know, we can now map a 
person's entire DNA. Any scientist looking at that map of any human 
being's DNA will tell you that is a human being. It is not a cat. It is 
not a dog. It is not a monkey. It is not another primate. It is a human 
being. It is the only thing that that DNA could belong to.
  Well, that is very interesting, because of course if you go back to 
the ROE v. WADE case and you read about Norma McCorvey, who was Jane 
Roe--of course, that was a pseudonym. Her name was Norma McCorvey. She 
was pregnant at the time with her third child. Two of them had been 
adopted previously. It was a difficult pregnancy as any. It was a 
problem pregnancy. It was an unplanned pregnancy.
  Well, Norma ran into two lawyers who wanted to overturn it, two 
ambitious lawyers who, later, she would go on to say she was ``the 
pawn'' of two young and ambitious lawyers who just wanted to test the 
case, the Texas law. They wanted to bring it to the Supreme Court. They 
told her that her fetus was just ``a blob of tissue.''
  Mr. Speaker, we know much better than that. Science knows much better 
than that. It was not a blob of tissue. It was a human being. It had 
the same chromosomes, the same DNA, the same genetics as you and I. Any 
scientist in the world could tell that that was a human being. In fact, 
from the moment of inception, the scientific truth is we are dealing 
with human beings, in the case of ROE v. WADE, 56 million human beings 
whose lives were ended as a result of that decision.
  Now, we are going to celebrate, and I mean celebrate, with a pro-life 
rally next week. And in the end, we are going to win this struggle, 
because in the end, what the Justices determined were legal beings are 
going to be really determined to be human beings worthy of protection.
  I will tell you why there are going to be so many of the Nation's 
youth at that rally. Because our Nation's youth grew up knowing that 
ROE v. WADE is in fact the law of the land, and in fact the law says 
legally their existence may have been threatened.
  Mr. Speaker, I have told this story before. If anybody doesn't 
believe it, I want them to meet Jennifer. My wife volunteers at a 
pregnancy center. One of those places where women with troubles, 
troubled pregnancies, they are in a bad situation. They know that in 
this country it is legal to have an abortion, but what they really want 
is help. And my wife is fluent in Spanish. She was raised in Puerto 
Rico. She is the only person at that pregnancy center in

[[Page H459]]

Maryland who speaks Spanish. She wasn't supposed to be there that day 
when Maria, on political asylum from Guatemala, called.

  It was Maria's third baby, just like Norma McCorvey's third baby. She 
was having a hard time because her husband had left her. It was going 
to be a hard time to raise that child. She called the clinic, because 
honestly she was looking for an abortion referral. And Maria doesn't 
speak English. She speaks a few words, not fluently enough to be 
understood. It just happened my wife was there. My wife talks to her 
and she helps her, and the pregnancy center helps her. Maria, who 
really didn't want an abortion but knew it was legal and an option, 
gave birth to Jennifer. Jennifer is now in middle school. She is a 
great kid. I would challenge anyone to look into Jennifer's eyes and 
say that ROE v. WADE got it right.
  Mr. Speaker, next week thousands, tens of thousands of young people 
are going to be on The Mall to join with us to say, simply put, ROE v. 
WADE got it wrong.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you very much.
  I would like to now yield to my good friend and colleague from 
Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, 41 years ago, the Supreme Court issued its 
tragic ROE v. WADE decision that legalized abortion on demand in the 
United States. Since that ruling there have been about 56 million 
abortions performed. This abhorrent practice remains one of the most 
common medical procedures in the U.S. It is perpetrated by a perverse 
logic that a life of an ``unplanned'' child does not possess the same 
value as that of any other child.
  As the parents of five children and grandparents of two, my wife, 
Jeanie, and I understand just how precious each and every child's life 
is. I believe every life is a gift from God, and I remain wholly 
committed to protecting the sanctity of human life.
  Today, I want to recognize the more than 2,300 pregnancy care centers 
in the United States working to defend the lives of the unborn and 
providing critical services and support for women who find themselves 
in unplanned pregnancies.
  Sadly, many women facing an unplanned pregnancy in the U.S. are told, 
and believe, abortion is the only way. Pregnancy care centers respect 
these women and the lives they are carrying throughout their 
pregnancies.
  In my Congressional district, we are fortunate to have one of these 
champions working to defend the sanctity of human life. Life Network 
has been serving Colorado Springs for over 25 years. Through the 
support of selfless men and women devoted to a culture of life, Life 
Network, through the Colorado Springs Pregnancy Center, provides 
pregnancy tests, counseling, ultrasounds, and material assistance such 
as diapers, formula, and baby clothing. All of these services are free 
of charge.
  Life Network and pregnancy care centers like it across the world have 
and will continue to reduce abortion rates, save unborn lives, and 
provide assistance and resources to encourage women faced with 
unplanned pregnancies so they can choose life.
  I mourn the lives cut short by abortion. I pray that God continues to 
give favor to those compassionate individuals who give of their time in 
pregnancy care centers, and he gives grace and comfort to those touched 
by this awful practice. I will continue to be among those fighting to 
stop it.
  Thank you, Representative Smith, for your leadership on this issue.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you very much, Mr. Lamborn.
  I'd like to now yield to my friend from Texas (Mr. Neugebauer).
  Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, next Wednesday is a very solemn day in 
America. It is the 41st anniversary of ROE v. WADE; and I think that 
that was the day that a blemish was put on America, a blemish put on a 
country that was founded on the principles of life, liberty, and the 
pursuit of happiness. But, unfortunately, we denied almost 56 million 
individuals that opportunity. A lot of people use the word ``choice'' 
when they are talking about abortion, but unfortunately we didn't give 
56 million people a choice.
  One of the great pleasures of my life is I just spent Christmas with 
my family and, more importantly, with my children and my grandchildren. 
I have two sons and four grandchildren.

                              {time}  1730

  One of the pleasures that Dana and I have on our mantle at home in 
our bedroom are the sonograms of each of our grandchildren, our first 
glimpse at what our loving grandchildren were going to look like, and a 
clear indication that life begins at conception.
  So my hope while I am here in Congress, and I will continue the 
fight, is that we remove this blemish from this great Nation; that we 
make this a Nation recommitted to those principles it was founded on of 
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If we cannot be a Nation 
of life, truly can we uphold any principles?
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my friend for his very, very wise 
comments and very eloquent comments.
  I would like to now yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
LaMalfa).
  Mr. LaMALFA. Thank you, my colleague from New Jersey, for leading 
this discussion here tonight.
  Indeed, it is a very somber tone that we would be here on a very, 
indeed, sad subject matter as the 41st anniversary of ROE v. WADE is 
brought forward here in our history.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the sanctity of human 
life. I know we have, as a society, an obligation to protect life in 
all its forms, especially the unborn. We are confronted today by a 
culture that takes human life for granted and the sanctity of it.
  Indeed, we heard a little bit earlier that since the 41-year history 
of ROE v. WADE--a decision made by a court, legislated by a court--that 
56 million unborn have had their lives taken, which I think is really 
an unconscionable injustice for our Nation. I am a pro-life advocate. 
Regardless of the political or status quo, I am proud to join my 
colleagues in protecting the rights of the unborn and preserving the 
right, the sanctity of human life.
  I am a Christian, father of four, I have daughters, I have sisters, I 
have nieces; a lot of women in my life, our family's life. Of course, 
nothing replaces the great joy you would have in holding one of your 
own newborn or those of relatives or friends, and what that means; the 
miracle that God has given us watching them grow, watching them go on 
to become successful. How would you want to take that away? I don't 
understand it.
  I know, obviously, it is a controversial subject, but where we fall 
short as a country sometimes--a lot of times, many times--is that women 
are in a position to have to make a difficult decision sometimes that 
they may believe the only position they have is the termination of a 
pregnancy. At the very least, we ought to be able to stand here and 
make sure they have all the information on all the implications, all 
the options, instead of sometimes a rush to make what can be a very 
tragic and long-lasting decision.
  The fight goes on. It won't end any time soon. But in the long-term 
picture, standing up for the rights of the unborn, as well as the 
sanctity of all human life, I think is something that is essential if 
we are to have a belief system in something bigger than ourselves.
  I hope we as a Nation can do better. I appreciate that there are 
folks willing to stand up for it. I appreciate the doctors that spoke 
here tonight that are there providing for women's health and the health 
of the unborn and those already born, that they have that perspective 
they brought to us as well.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my friend.
  I would like to now yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Pittenger).
  Mr. PITTENGER. Thank you, Congressman Smith. I am so grateful for 
your leadership, having known you now for the last 30 years and watched 
the true commitment that you have for the calls of life. I just 
appreciate the spirit of which you come and your dedication.
  Mr. Speaker, before I got in Congress, I spent a lot of time 
committed to the pro-life mission. My interest really was elevated 
about 25 years ago when I was in London with my family, and we visited 
the British Museum. After a long day, we were tired and we went into a 
little booth and sat down. There were a

[[Page H460]]

number of chairs. There was a little TV screen, and I just pushed the 
button to see what was there. What came on was a little film about life 
and about birth and about this little baby. They referred to the baby 
time and again: the baby is a week old, the baby is 2 weeks old, the 
baby is 3 weeks old.
  Here is a chart, Mr. Speaker, that says that baby at 4 weeks has the 
eyes and the heart, 5 weeks greater development with the limbs, 6 weeks 
having the teeth and the palate and the ears. You will see there, Mr. 
Speaker, about the 16th week the brain is fully formed; and, at that 
point, at fully formed, the nervous system is in. That baby can feel 
pain.
  So I want those who can see us today and feel the heart and 
commitment, that this is a baby, and this is the life of that baby as 
it is processed. The Lord said: ``I knew you even when you were in your 
mother's womb.'' This is something that we cannot remove ourselves 
from.
  As you think of this baby and the loss of these babies, some 56 
million, your mind's eye looks through all of recorded history and what 
has happened in the period of history that those babies were born and 
what would happen with their lives. Did we eliminate the life of one 
who would have helped to cure cancer or diabetes or any other disease? 
Was that life taken that God had put in that little baby's mind and 
heart the knowledge to do what was needed to be done to cure a major 
disease today? We will never know that until eternity.
  For that, I think it is a very sober thought to know that the Lord 
watches over us day and night, and his thoughts toward us are good and 
not of evil, to give us a future and a hope. He has hope to all. We 
need to respect the fact and know the fact that that loving God 
provided this life to be a blessing on this Earth. It is something that 
we should consider very seriously, the impact of what has happened in 
God's plan for this Earth by what we have taken away from the life that 
he has given.
  So I share this time with you and I am grateful for your leadership. 
As I join with you next week, this will be a moment to continue to ask 
God to help preserve these lives.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you, Mr. Pittenger.
  May I inquire of the Chair how much time I have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New Jersey has about 2 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Benishek).
  Mr. BENISHEK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the rights of the unborn and to 
urge my colleagues to do everything within their legal power to help 
protect the most innocent and defenseless citizens of our great Nation.
  I served as a doctor for nearly 30 years in northern Michigan, and I 
know that life begins at conception and that protection for that life 
must start at conception. As a father and grandfather, I have been 
blessed to experience this miracle on my own family.
  I think everyone believes the government should protect children--we 
ensure their health, their safety, their well-being. I, along with many 
in northern Michigan, believe that life inside the womb is just as 
precious as life outside the womb and that it must be protected.
  Because of this belief that the lives of the unborn deserve 
protection, I have worked hard to prevent taxpayer funding of abortion. 
I joined with a majority of my Republican colleagues in the House of 
Representatives supporting H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion 
Act. Your hard-earned tax dollars should not pay for abortions, 
especially when such highly controversial practices are opposed by most 
taxpayers.
  January 22, next Wednesday, marks the 41st anniversary of the ROE v. 
WADE Supreme Court decision. After 41 years of passionate engagement, I 
would like to commend the grassroots efforts of our local communities. 
Thank you for the hard work that you do to educate our communities 
about this important debate.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you very much, Dr. Benishek.
  Just to close, Mr. Speaker, 41 years ago next week--January 22--marks 
the U.S. Supreme Court's infamous, reckless, and inhumane abandonment 
of women and babies to abortionists. Forty-one years of victims--dead 
babies, wounded women, shattered families. Forty-one years of 
government-sanctioned violence against women and children.
  Since 1973, more than 56 million children have been killed by 
abortion--a staggering loss of children's precious lives--a death toll 
that equates to the entire population of England.
  The passage of time hasn't changed the fact that abortion is a 
serious, lethal violation of fundamental human rights, and that women 
and children deserve better, and that the demands of justice, 
generosity, and compassion require that the right to life be guaranteed 
to everyone.
  Rather than dull our consciences to the unmitigated violence of 
abortion, the passage of time has only enabled us to see and, frankly, 
better understand the innate cruelty of abortion and its horrific 
legacy--victims--while making us more determined than ever to protect 
the weakest and the most vulnerable.
  All life is sacred, Mr. Speaker. No one, regardless of sex, race, 
religion, disability, or condition of dependency, is a ``throwaway.'' 
All of us, especially lawmakers and policymakers everywhere in this 
town and throughout the country, have a profound moral duty to protect 
the innocent and the inconvenient.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

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