    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [June 22, 1995]
    [Pages 919-920]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Senate Action on the Nomination of Henry Foster To Be
    Surgeon General in Edison, New Jersey
    June 22, 1995

        Good afternoon. Today 43 Republicans in the Senate failed the
    fundamental test of fairness. By choosing to side with extremists who
    would do anything to block a woman's right to choose, those Senators
    have done a disservice to a good man, done a disservice to the
    nominating process, and sent a chilling message to the rest of the
    country.
        The American people are smart enough to see through what just
    happened. They know this is not about my right to choose a Surgeon
    General; this is about the right of every woman to choose. The committee
    recommended Dr. Foster to the Senate. A clear and substantial majority
    of Senators were prepared to vote for his nomination. But a determined
    minority succumbed to political pressure and abused the filibuster rule.
        It's wrong for a man as qualified and committed as Dr. Foster to be
    denied this chance to serve our country. He has gone where too few of us
    have ever dared to go. He has ridden the rickety elevators in high-rise
    projects to talk to young people about the importance of abstinence and
    avoiding teen pregnancy. He has traveled the backroads of rural Alabama,
    bringing health care and hope to women and children who would otherwise
    have never seen a doctor. He has been a father figure to many children
    who do not see their own fathers.
        He has actually done something, in short, about the problems a lot
    of people in Washington just talk about. He's done something about teen
    pregnancy. He's done something to convince young people to abstain from
    sex. He's done something about women's health and crime prevention and
    giving young people hope for the future. One of his former patients even
    talked about how he talked her out of having an abortion.
        Now, you would think that those who deplore teen pregnancy, advocate
    abstinence, and oppose abortion would want to support a man who has
    actually done something to advance the aims they say they share, instead
    of just use them as political weapons. But no, in their brave new world,
    raw political power and political correctness, pure political
    correctness, are all that matter. They are determined to call the tune
    to which the Republican Party in Congress and in their Presidential
    process march.
        Well, they won a victory today, but America lost. And all those
    young people who came up here from Tennessee, what about them? What
    about those young people that came here believing in the congressional
    process and told the Members of Congress that Dr. Foster had encouraged
    them to avoid sex, to stay away from teen pregnancy, not to do drugs, to
    stay in school? They had a role model, and they saw their role model
    turned into a political football. In 1995, Henry Foster was denied even
    the right to vote.
        A minority in the Senate may have denied him this job, but I am
    confident that he will go on to serve our country. I think more of Henry
    Foster today than the first day I met him. This is not a good day for
    the United States Senate. But it is a good day for Henry Foster. He
    didn't get what he deserved, but he is still deserving. Those who denied
    him the right to a vote, they may have pleased their political bosses,
    but they have shown a lack of leadership that will surely be remembered.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at approximately 3:45 p.m. at the landing area
    at the Ford Motor Co. plant.

    [[Page 920]]