Jane Harman: “as a previous speaker has said, it is a shame we have to raise the debate on abortion over and over and over again. The…”

“as a previous speaker has said, it is a shame we have to raise the debate on abortion over and over and over again. The gentleman is right. It is a shame, but it is necessary. A constitutional right is not a right if it cannot be exercised. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which I strongly supported, Mr. Chairman, was intended to guarantee the right to choose, but the resources to secure that right are lagging. That is why we need the Schroeder amendment. The Schroeder amendment allows local law enforcement block grant funding to be used to increase security at our country's reproductive health care clinics. The amendment does not stand in the way of flexibility, it simply permits local law enforcement to allocate the necessary resources to stop violence at these clinics. In my congressional district, OB-GYN physicians who perform legal abortions have called on me to help stop the violence. By passing the Schroeder amendment today, we will take a critical step toward protecting these doctors, their families, their patients.”