Jeremiah Smith: “I rise to oppose the Murray amendment. Under current law, performing abortions at military medical facilities is banned…”

“I rise to oppose the Murray amendment. Under current law, performing abortions at military medical facilities is banned, except for cases where the mother's life is in jeopardy or in the case of rape or incest. So what this amendment would do is strike this provision from the law, thereby, in my view, turning military medical treatment centers into abortion clinics. I think we have to think hard about that, whether or not that is really the purpose of military medical treatment centers because that is the bottom line. That is what this would do. The House recently rejected a similar amendment by a vote of 221-195. It was offered by Representative Loretta Sanchez of California. A number of pro-life Democrats joined with Republican colleagues to defeat this amendment. In 1995, the House voted three times to keep abortion on demand out of military medical facilities before the pro-life provision was finally enacted into law. Over and over again in Congress, we had votes. Last year, I think it was 51-49. It was very close. I will not be surprised to see the Vice President step into the Chamber, anticipating a possible tie vote, because this administration is the most abortion-oriented administration in American history.”