Cliff Stearns: “Today opponents of the proposed ban on partial birth abortion will levy a great deal of unfair derision against those of…”

“Today opponents of the proposed ban on partial birth abortion will levy a great deal of unfair derision against those of us who will stand today to speak on behalf of the unborn. These same opponents repeatedly deny the terrible facts regarding partial birth abortion despite overwhelming evidence. They fight against common sense efforts such as parental notification and demonstrate, through their actions, that the unborn are not worthy of protection in their eyes. I emphatically disagree. The phrase 'partial-birth abortion' describes the process employed in this late-term abortion procedure. It refers to any abortion in which the baby is delivered 'past the navel . . . outside the mother's body' and then is killed by any means effective. This method is usually employed after 24 weeks gestation at which point these babies have eyebrows and eyelashes and have shown to be sensitive to pain. It is difficult and painful for all of us to hear of the violence against these unborn children. It is mournful that any child has ever known such brutality and in this case with the permission of the law. Opponents of the ban have a difficult task before them because the truth of the matter is so painfully clear. They attempt to rationalize that if the baby's head and shoulders are still inside of the mother that it is worthless tissue to be discarded without regret. Is the line between murder and medical procedure really only five inches!?”