Louise Slaughter: “Mr. Speaker, the sad thing about this bill is that it is not violence against women, it is violence against pregnant…”

“Mr. Speaker, the sad thing about this bill is that it is not violence against women, it is violence against pregnant women, and, while that is an abhorrent thing, it should be treated as violence against women. We all know and believe that. What this bill does is reduce women to vessels, to wombs. It says that they are the ones that matter. If that were not the case, then this Congress would fund the Violence Against Women's Act. Recently the majority leader of the House said in an interview that he thought all women should be in the home and that their husbands should give all the structure. Well, maybe we will get a bill on the floor pretty soon that says every woman in America of child-bearing age must be pregnant at all times and must not be allowed to leave the house. That, of course, then does say that older women who are past child-bearing age are fair victims for violence because we have not funded the Violence Against Women's Act. But if they are pregnant, then we will really look after them. What a narrow-minded thing that is. I would like all the Members who think this is a great idea to go home and tell their mothers and daughters and their sisters and all the rest of their female relatives that only if they are pregnant do they matter to the Congress of the United States. It is appalling that we have had over 200 votes whittling away at this since 1995.”