Sam Farr: “There are so many reasons why my colleagues should reject H.R. 1797, the misnamed Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection…”

“There are so many reasons why my colleagues should reject H.R. 1797, the misnamed Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. I am sure my Democratic colleagues that oppose the bill will be able to speak to many of those reasons, but I want to focus on an issue that will shock the American people, once they find out what this bill really does. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will force, let me repeat that, force a woman to carry an unviable fetus to full term and delivery. Even when doctors agree that it is impossible for the fetus to survive outside the womb, if it is over 20 weeks, if H.R. 1797 passes, it will have to be carried to full term and delivered. By making the woman carry this fetus to full term and deliver it even though it will never survive, we are adding to the unimaginable pain of having a child that will not survive outside the womb. Instead of being allowed to grieve for months, this legislation would only prolong the inevitable heartbreak she will experience. The Republican majority may be completely fine with subjecting women to repeated and unnecessary heartbreak, but I am not! Not to mention the unnecessary pain and physical discomfort throughout the pregnancy for the woman. She is forced to go through all the trials of a normal pregnancy and the tremendous pain of childbirth, just so the Republican Majority can once again intrude into the lives of women and impose their will on them.…”