[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 16, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H612-H613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MARCH FOR LIFE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand with the hundreds of 
thousands of Americans who are traveling to Washington for the 46th 
annual March for Life.
  Fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable Americans has been my 
most precious responsibility since long before I was elected to 
Congress. Most notably, I can remember marching to defend our unborn 
children when I was pregnant with my son Stephen in January of 1990. 
Last year, I was proud to march just days after my first granddaughter, 
Isabella Marie, was born. This Friday, the day of the March, we will 
celebrate Isabella's first birthday.
  Again and again, I am reminded that life is beautiful, that children 
are a blessing, and that we must do all we can to support our Nation's 
mothers.
  Though now we have a divided Congress, there is still so much we can 
do to lift up women and children. This month, my colleagues and I 
called on President Trump to veto any legislation that weakens Federal 
policies against abortion.
  We are fortunate that the administration is taking action to protect 
life. The President has reinstated President Reagan's title 10 protect 
life rule, so that our tax dollars don't fund abortion providers like 
Planned Parenthood and others. This is widely popular policy.
  In fact, Mr. Speaker, new public polling shows that millennials 
prefer that their tax dollars go to federally qualified health centers 
rather than abortion providers like Planned Parenthood by a 3-1 margin. 
Only 7 percent of millennials share the position of the Democratic 
Party platform that abortion should be available without any exceptions 
and funded by your tax dollars.
  The administration is heeding the concerns of the American people. 
Just last month, the National Institutes of Health announced it will 
fund up to $20 million to find alternatives to using human fetal tissue 
in research projects. The U.S. Government should end all contracts that 
use baby body parts. We must preserve the integrity in scientific 
research by protecting pregnant women and their children.
  This month, I am introducing two bills to defend life. The first is 
the

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Born Alive Act, which will require all healthcare providers to give 
babies who survive abortions the same level of care as other newborns 
and to ensure that they are immediately admitted to a hospital. The 
illegal fetal tissue trafficking industry profits most from abortions 
that increase the likelihood of a live birth. Congress must provide 
born-alive infants with lifesaving care, not exploit, kill, and sell 
them to the highest bidder.
  I am also introducing the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, or PRENDA, 
which will prohibit sex-selection abortions or forcing a woman to 
obtain a sex-selection abortion. The sad truth is that victims of sex-
selected abortions are overwhelmingly female. It is estimated that 117 
million girls are demographically missing from around the world due to 
sex-selection abortions, infanticide, and other forms of gender-based 
violence.
  Girls are targeted for abortions not only in countries like China and 
India, but right here in the United States. These abortions victimize 
both mother and daughter and have no place in a just society.
  Mr. Speaker, there is so much bipartisan work we can do to protect 
America's mothers and babies, and I hope we can act together to serve 
and protect all God's children.
  I thank all of those who will march for life this week. I stand with 
them, and I will continue to fight and pray for the day when abortion 
is not only illegal but is unthinkable.

                          ____________________