Vicky Hartzler: “Thank you. I applaud my colleague from New Jersey, and I thank him for his leadership on this very important issue.…”

“Thank you. I applaud my colleague from New Jersey, and I thank him for his leadership on this very important issue. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, two rulings which impose legalized abortion in this country. I was in junior high at the time this ruling came down, and I really didn't understand the implications. It was only later when I took a child development class and they showed pictures of the different stages of the baby's development that I came to realize this wasn't just talk about a blot of tissue. This procedure ended a beating heart and denied life into this world. I became pro-life then and continue to be pro-life now. This Friday, hundreds of thousands of Americans will come to Washington to recognize this anniversary. And it's not an anniversary observed with celebration, but one marked by somber reflection. We mourn the loss of 55 million aborted boys and girls, innocent children who were never given the right to live, attend school, go to birthday parties, participate on little league teams, or become siblings and peers. We mourn for families who do not know their lost children but wish they did. We mourn the devastating impact abortion has on our culture and our consciences. This anniversary also represents an occasion to renew our commitment to defending the most fundamental human right: the right to life.…”