[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 74 (Thursday, May 14, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                         HON. YVETTE D. CLARKE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 2015

  Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I voted against this 
re-vamped version of H.R. 36, the ``Pain-Capable Unborn Child 
Protection Act.'' This act is both dangerous and unconstitutional and 
violates the rights of women to an abortion. By allowing this act to 
become law, we are limiting the reproductive rights for all women in 
this nation.
   H.R. 36 is blatantly unconstitutional, as it bans abortions after 
the twenty week mark. This bill is in clear violation of more than 40 
years of Supreme Court precedent that protect women's access to 
abortion prior to viability--that is prior to twenty-four NOT twenty 
weeks.
   This bill provides fake fixes that make it worse than the first 
version of this bill. This bill requires sexual assault victims seeking 
abortion services after twenty weeks to provide written proof that they 
obtained counseling or medical treatment for their sexual assault. This 
bill also requires a minor, who is an incest victim and who seeks 
abortion services after twenty weeks, to provide written proof that the 
crime was reported to law enforcement or a government agency.
   Forcing sexual assault victims and minor incest victims to report 
their rape is bad enough, but this bill gets even more dangerous 
because it requires doctors who provide abortion services after twenty 
weeks to publicly disclose, to the government, the location of where 
care was provided. In light of Americans' easy access to guns and 
explosive materials, this provision would endanger many lives. This is 
a nightmare waiting to happen--a nightmare that I refuse to take part 
in supporting.
   We cannot allow a woman's right to choose to be infringed upon by a 
minority of people in this nation. We cannot let them bully the rest of 
the country into accepting their worldview. I stand with women, which 
is why I opposed H.R. 36.

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