Timothy Roemer: “we hear now today from some of our colleagues that this is an issue of privacy and the U.S. Congress should not vote on…”

“we hear now today from some of our colleagues that this is an issue of privacy and the U.S. Congress should not vote on it. We vote on issues of speech, and that is very private. We vote on issues of prayer, and that is very private. We vote on issues of guns, and that is everywhere private. Certainly we should vote to ban this kind of procedure that takes the life of a partially delivered baby. I hear some of my colleagues on this side of the aisle even say that this is a regrettable procedure, an unfortunate procedure. This is a gruesome and brutal procedure, and as we spend billions of dollars every single year on medicine and technology, certainly there is no room in our society for this kind of procedure to continue to take place in 1996, no matter what your view is as a pro-life or a pro-choice Member of Congress. What are we voting on? A partial birth abortion is defined as a procedure in which a doctor partially delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus and completing the delivery. That is what we are voting on. What have we added to this in chapter 74, section 1531? "This paragraph shall not apply to a partial-birth abortion that is necessary to save the life of the mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness or injury." Finally, let me conclude by saying this issue should not divide pro-choice and pro-life. It should not divide women and men. It should not divide Democrats and Republicans.”