John Kerry: “today the Senate considered legislation that proponents claim will reduce the number of abortions. But in reality…”

“today the Senate considered legislation that proponents claim will reduce the number of abortions. But in reality everyone knows this legislation will do little to lower the number of abortions, and it will do even less to protect the role of parents in our society. In a move that is all too typical of the coarsening partisanship of this city and of this Congress, instead of bringing before the Senate legislation that could actually reduce the number of abortions, the Senate Republican leader decided to just check another on the Republican ``To Do'' list before election day this November. It is sad that the Senate has missed this opportunity to enact legislation to reduce teen pregnancy. Every Senator agrees that we should do more to reduce incidences of teen pregnancy. And yet the bill debated in the Senate today is little more than a political stunt that will do little to reduce the number of abortions. This is not the first time we have faced legislation like this which reflects a political calculus, not a policy consideration. In 1998, just prior to that year's election, the Republican leadership brought forward a similar bill. I opposed that legislation as well, as it failed to take meaningful steps towards reducing abortions and because it threatened to endanger victims of rape, incest, or abusive family situations.…”