Robert Pittenger: “Thank you, Congressman Smith. I am so grateful for your leadership, having known you now for the last 30 years and…”

“Thank you, Congressman Smith. I am so grateful for your leadership, having known you now for the last 30 years and watched the true commitment that you have for the calls of life. I just appreciate the spirit of which you come and your dedication. Mr. Speaker, before I got in Congress, I spent a lot of time committed to the pro-life mission. My interest really was elevated about 25 years ago when I was in London with my family, and we visited the British Museum. After a long day, we were tired and we went into a little booth and sat down. There were a number of chairs. There was a little TV screen, and I just pushed the button to see what was there. What came on was a little film about life and about birth and about this little baby. They referred to the baby time and again: the baby is a week old, the baby is 2 weeks old, the baby is 3 weeks old. Here is a chart, Mr. Speaker, that says that baby at 4 weeks has the eyes and the heart, 5 weeks greater development with the limbs, 6 weeks having the teeth and the palate and the ears. You will see there, Mr. Speaker, about the 16th week the brain is fully formed; and, at that point, at fully formed, the nervous system is in. That baby can feel pain. So I want those who can see us today and feel the heart and commitment, that this is a baby, and this is the life of that baby as it is processed. The Lord said: ``I knew you even when you were in your mother's womb.'' This is something that we cannot remove ourselves from.…”