Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague from New York. Madam Speaker and Members, I am just so perplexed by our willingness every time an abortion issue is brought up that we don the equivalent of a white coat, that we believe that we are doctors in this august body, that we should be making decisions on behalf of women who are pregnant and on behalf of their spouses and of their physicians, and that we know better than everyone else. If we had women in America who saw their doctors as frequently as we talk about their health on the House floor, boy, they would have a lot of access to doctors. Four months ago, this bill was taken up, and many of the women in the Republican caucus thought it went too far, so it has been amended a little bit, and now they think it doesn't go too far. Let me tell you what ``too far'' is. First of all, remember that only 1.5 percent of abortions take place after 20 weeks. They take place for a lot of personal and profoundly physical reasons, and the decision is made by the physician in conjunction with the pregnant woman and her family. What in the heck are we doing putting our noses in their lives? {time} 1315 It is constitutional, Members; it is legal in this country to have an abortion. Now, rape. If you are raped, and it is after 20 weeks, you have to go to a law enforcement officer or you have to have mental health services. Now, let me remind you, of the sexual assaults that take place in the military, 81 percent of them are never reported.…”