Chris Smith: “I thank my good friend, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Smith, for his great leadership. I want to thank…”

“I thank my good friend, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Smith, for his great leadership. I want to thank Mr. Lipinski, prime cosponsor of H.R. 3. I want to thank the other distinguished chairmen, Dave Camp; and Fred Upton; our extraordinary Speaker, John Boehner, for his eloquent statement and for his compassion for both mothers and children who are hurt by abortions; and for Eric Cantor, our superb majority leader, and the 228 cosponsors of this legislation. Madam Speaker, there is no doubt whatsoever that ending all public funding for abortions saves lives. Even the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute said in an analysis in 2009 that ``approximately one-fourth of women who would have had Medicaid-funded abortions (if the Hyde amendment did not exist) instead give birth when this funding is unavailable.'' In other words, when public funding and facilitation isn't available for abortion, children have a greater chance at survival. I said earlier during the debate on the rule that I remember the late Congressman Henry Hyde being moved literally to tears--I was in the room when it happened--when he learned that the Hyde amendment had likely saved the lives of more than 1 million babies who today are getting on with their lives, going to school, forging a career, perhaps serving in this Chamber--at least some of them--or even establishing their own families. H.R.…”