Political Quotes

“I rise with regret because, unfortunately, we remain divided. There is so much common ground, so many good ideas in this bill, and so much that unites us. We have so much more in common than in conflict on this bill. The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act has involved so much work by great colleagues--Senator Cornyn, Senator Klobuchar, Senator Murray, Senator Feinstein, and my colleague who has just finished speaking. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bill. We are divided on one paragraph that is simply unacceptable, and it is fundamental to the goals of this bill, which is to restore human dignity and freedom to victims and survivors of human trafficking. Restoring freedom involves giving those survivors choices over whether they will bear children as a result of that trafficking. Trafficking is, fundamentally, modern-day slavery. It is sex slavery and sex exploitation, which results, all too often, in pregnancy. At its core, the human trafficking bill before us today is about restoring human dignity to those victims and survivors and enabling them to avoid the long-lasting and enduring consequences of that slavery. This legislation is an acknowledgment of our common commitment to these survivors and to providing them the services and support they need so much. One of them is abortion. Where we are divided is on guaranteeing that reproductive right--the essence of freedom, dignity, and choice. So it is well beyond a technicality here.…”