Political Quotes

“Madam President, I will probably get in trouble with somebody for saying this, but the question of when life begins, the deeper question of what defines life, which biological entities are alive or possess independent existence versus which biological entities are simply part of something else that is alive--man, those are really hard questions. I heard my colleague Senator Daines on the floor earlier tonight talking passionately about his belief that life begins at conception and that humans have an obligation to defend a day-old fetus equally to our obligation to defend the life of someone who has been born. Now, I disagree. I believe that life begins at birth. I believe that our legal obligation towards a born human is different than our legal obligation toward an unborn fetus. But on that narrow question of when life begins, I don't cast any particular judgment on Senator Daines for believing what he believes. His belief system is shared by millions of Americans--not the majority of Americans, but a significant share. This disagreement that he and I have over when legally protected life begins, though, is as significant and as important a disagreement as exists--right--because it is about the most foundational questions in human existence: What is life? Who decides whether a woman bears a child? Who has control over that woman's body? Who has control over the most sacred and critical function of a human being, the act of giving birth?…”