Barbara Boxer: “I know that most politicians--and we are all included-- think we really know a lot, and we are really pretty smart, and…”

“I know that most politicians--and we are all included-- think we really know a lot, and we are really pretty smart, and we have to work hard at our jobs, and we feel confident and comfortable in our work, but when we start doing things such as this--outlawing a medical procedure that OB/GYNs tell us is necessary to preserve the health of a woman, and when we start telling women such as this woman here, and others I have shown, that they don't know what they are talking about, they were not in crisis, this isn't an emergency--I actually heard someone on the floor today say this isn't an emergency situation if it takes 3 days. Well, let me tell you, it may take 3 days because of these complications that we are talking about. These are very complicated, difficult situations that are delicate. If it takes 3 days, it is because it is delicate. I have to say, if we wind up banning this procedure--which, by the way, the way the bill as written is unconstitutional because the lawyers who have fought the previous case said it is legally identical to the case that the Supreme Court said was unconstitutional--and it is upheld because of a change in the Court, or whatever, we are going to find some tragedies that we are going to bring to the floor. I don't want to see that day come. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. I wish we can take that same oath to do no harm. Roe v. Wade was a very important decision.…”