Mike Pence: “I rise today in the discharge of an idea that began for me in September of 2003; and now today it has its fourth…”

“I rise today in the discharge of an idea that began for me in September of 2003; and now today it has its fourth manifestation, a series of remarks on the floor of this Congress that I simply call ``The Case for Life.'' My inspiration for today's discussion, which is entitled ``The Case for Life: Abortion and the Problem of Pain,'' was inspired not by a contemporary in this Congress, though I just came from a meeting with really the intellectual and moral father of the pro-life movement in this Congress, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), chairman of the Committee on International Relations, who simply referred to my humble efforts on the floor and those of colleagues who will join me as, in his words, ``a great idea.'' But it was not from the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) that I drew my inspiration for these series, but rather from another distinguished gentleman who served in this body from the years 1827 to his death on the House floor in the year 1848. That was the late Congressman and the former President, John Quincy Adams, who history recorded after he served as President of the United States for a term in the early 1820s, he actually felt compelled to return to Washington, D.C. from his home State of Massachusetts as a member of the House of Representatives, truly an extraordinary exercise in public service.”