Political Quotes

“Let us be clear what this does not deal with. Standing there with signs, saying things, trying to persuade people. Physically obstructing. Standing in the doorway, and I think if you stand in the doorway to try to force a woman to pass within a 3-inch space, that might be unreasonably obstructing. The gentleman asked for the definition, he is going to get it whether he likes or not. That could be making it unreasonably difficult. The fact is, and I am surprised at the gentleman, the purpose of these demonstrations in some cases is in fact physically to prevent people from going in and we say you cannot prevent people from physically going in. As to equal protection, that has no merit. What we are dealing with here is a situation where there has been a nationally organized movement, in many cases, to send large numbers of people into particular communities. I represent one town where because large numbers of people came from all over the place to physically blockade clinics, the town of Brookline that I represent, a national movement organized people and the town was faced with extraordinary police costs. Mr. Speaker, I think it is reasonable when the Federal Government says where a particular community is being the focal point of all this activity, we will step in, or situations where, not unknown in America in this situation or others, local police refuse to help, the Federal Government will step in.”