Jerry Nadler: “I oppose this bill before us today because it is unnecessary, misguided and facially unconstitutional. The Supreme Court…”

“I oppose this bill before us today because it is unnecessary, misguided and facially unconstitutional. The Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade clearly said, ``The unborn have never been recognized in the whole sense,'' and concluded that ``person,'' as used in the 14th amendment of the Constitution, does not include the unborn. As the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) just made clear in his speech a moment ago, as everybody I have heard on the other side has made clear in their speeches, the whole purpose of this bill is precisely to label the unborn fetus or zygote or blastocyst as a person in the whole sense of the word. That is their purpose. Therefore, it is an abortion debate, because if it is murder to cause a miscarriage of a zygote or a fetus, then logically it is murder to perform an abortion. That is why we are debating abortion, and that is why they are debating abortion, whether they admit it or not.”