[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SUPPORTING THE BORN-ALIVE ABORTION SURVIVORS PROTECTION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Fitzpatrick). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, on Friday thousands of people from all 
across America will come to Washington to march in support of the 
dignity and equal protection of every God-given human life in this 
great land. It is in that spirit that I rise to join my colleagues in 
supporting H.R. 4712, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. 
This bill ensures that, if a baby survives a failed abortion, that baby 
must be given the same medical care as a baby born under any 
circumstances.
  In a moral society, the strong have a responsibility to protect the 
weak. It is a stain on the moral fabric of our Nation that some lives 
are deemed less worthy than others with respect to protection.
  America is a city on a hill whose light shines bright for all the 
world to see. That light is dimmed, however, as long as the dark 
practice of leaving a baby to die continues.
  It is my hope that even those who believe in abortion can recognize 
that a baby who survives a botched abortion should be afforded the same 
protections that you and I are.
  This week, we celebrate not only the March for Life, we also 
celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. In his day, Martin Luther 
King, Jr., worked tirelessly, in the face of enormous adversity and 
personal risk to himself and his family, to help all of us as Americans 
live up to the highest of our American ideals: the self-evident truth 
that all men are created equal.
  Through his work, King helped our Nation better realize its charter 
for forming a more perfect Union. Mr. Speaker, the Born-Alive Abortion 
Survivors Protection Act builds on King's legacy by ensuring that the 
unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are 
protected for everyone, especially for those whose voices have been 
silenced.
  Passing this legislation would restore some of our Nation's light 
that has been lost and make our Nation a more perfect Union than it was 
yesterday. That, after all, is our job.
  In the words of the great American hero, Martin Luther King, Jr.: 
``It is always the right time to do the right thing.''
  Let's do the right thing, and let's protect these helpless little 
babies.


                    Recognizing Sophia Campa-Peters

  Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of representing one 
of the most courageous little girls in all the world, Sophia Campa-
Peters. She may be a little girl, little in stature, but there is 
nothing small about Sophia's heart and her courage.
  She has suffered, for the last 3 years, with a rare disease that has 
caused her to have multiple strokes, and she is now facing the biggest 
challenge in her journey, major brain surgery.
  God says: ``Come to Me as little children.'' Sophia represents the 
faith of a child like nobody I have encountered since I have been in 
this office, and she requested that I help her rally the world to pray 
on January 24 that, while she is having that surgery at Boston 
Children's Hospital, we would encourage people and implore people to 
pray for her.
  I was delighted and honored to join her and many others in asking 
folks to take a knee and appeal to the Great Physician to protect her, 
to heal her, and to make provision for her to have a strong, healthy, 
and happy life for many, many years to come.
  What a testament to her faith in God and the power of prayer. What a 
testament of someone who, in the face of trial and tribulation, would 
choose hope, would choose to believe, would choose to dream that her 
best days are ahead of her.
  Thanks, Sophie. Thank you for your faith. Thank you for your 
testimony. Thank you for your courage. And most of all, thank you for 
teaching us that every day is an opportunity, every day is a gift from 
God.
  Sophia, we are rallying the world for you. We will pray for you, and 
we will appeal to Almighty God on your behalf.
  God bless her. God bless her family.

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