Jane Harman: “this is a hard issue for many, but I urge all of us to keep several things in mind. First, Roe versus Wade sets up a…”

“this is a hard issue for many, but I urge all of us to keep several things in mind. First, Roe versus Wade sets up a careful framework: Abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy are strictly limited. No one here is talking about changing or expanding that framework. Second, late-term abortions are tragic. We are talking about wanted pregnancies that go terribly wrong. Third, as our colleague, the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Furse) said, doctors, not Congress, should choose the procedure to be used in the tragic event that a late-term abortion is necessary. Fourth, in my view, the President showed great courage in vetoing that bill and I think we should uphold his veto because, as the mother of four wanted children, the product of fortunately healthy pregnancies, I would have wanted the choice in the event that I learned late in my pregnancy that my fetus was so grossly deformed that it would not live beyond a few hours after birth, even if that, and that my reproductive health was at risk. I would have wanted that choice, and I do want that choice, under constitutional guarantees, for every woman in this country.”