Patricia Schroeder: “Mr. Speaker, let me answer some of the questions. First of all, all of us as Americans know we have the right to our…”

“Mr. Speaker, let me answer some of the questions. First of all, all of us as Americans know we have the right to our basic beliefs, and certainly there is absolutely nothing in this bill, and it is restated over, and over, and over again, there is nothing in this bill that interferes with the right to free speech, free picketing, anything that is peaceful and anything that is nonviolent. But what we do not have the right to do as Americans is take our beliefs and inflict or impose them on other people's beliefs. That is where your freedom ends. Your freedom ends where another person's beliefs begin. You do not have the right to impose them and to overrule that. There is nothing in this bill dealing with free speech or nonviolent picketing, or you would never have the Committee on the Judiciary, the ACLU, civil libertarians and everyone else backing it. And I think we cannot say that enough. What does this bill do? It says you cannot block access to a clinic. Now, why is that important? Well, because since 1977, there have been 33,000 arrests for blockading clinics. I have gone to our clinic in Colorado when there have been people there blockading, and it has taken the police to get through the line so women could get inside for their health care.”