On the recordOctober 13, 2011
I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am a little appalled at some of the comments that I have heard across the aisle, especially those that say talking about jobs is more important than talking about saving lives. I don't believe there are many Americans who would agree with our colleagues who say that we in this country pride ourselves on saving lives at every opportunity, both humans, animals, any form of life, and I believe this is a worthy debate for us to be having today. But, Madam Speaker, the Republican-led House has also been working hard to rein in out-of-control government spending and represent the majority of the American people who elected us, and we know that by reining in spending we could do something to help create jobs. So we are not a one-note party. We understand we can do both of those things. The bill before us today is a continuing effort to steward the taxpayer money wisely, represent the majority of Americans who believe taxpayer money should not be used to pay for elective abortions, and, thereby, protect innocent life. Last year, as others have said, the liberal Democrats rammed through their overall health care legislation and refused to include standard pro-life protections that have had broad bipartisan support in the past. The rule before us today provides for consideration of H.R.…
