Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the bill, but I specifically want to talk about a provision that is being gutted that for decades has been bipartisan, Mr. Speaker, that is the Hyde amendment. Back in the 1970s, when Henry Hyde came to Congress from Illinois, one of his main objectives was to protect life. He started on a quest to do that on a number of different fronts, and he ultimately found a bipartisan consensus put into law back in 1976 to say that no taxpayer funds should be used for abortion. It was actually something that Republicans and Democrats rallied around. Since that time, every appropriations bill that has moved through Congress, for over 40 years, has included Hyde protections, until today. This is a sad day when you see how the Democratic Party has changed from the party back then. I want to read a quote, Mr. Speaker. This is from 1994. A prominent United States Senator said: ``Those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them.'' You know who said that? Joe Biden said that, Mr. Speaker. Where is that Joe Biden today? Where is that Democratic Party today that has changed and moved so far away from those principles that were bipartisan? By the way, most Americans today, including many people who consider themselves pro-choice, think it is wrong to use taxpayer funds for abortion. Yet, this bill guts that decades-long tradition. Again, I will read from Joe Biden himself.…”