Louise Slaughter: “Mr. Speaker, it has been a mere 6 weeks since the leadership lobbed on to the House floor a bill targeting women and…”

“Mr. Speaker, it has been a mere 6 weeks since the leadership lobbed on to the House floor a bill targeting women and their reproductive health care. Be assured that the election season is upon us, and in the face of a crumbling stock market and exploding deficits and uncertain war on terrorism at home and calls for new war in Iraq, of this we can be sure: Congress will use the floor of the House of Representatives to push propaganda restricting a woman's ability to make her own decisions rather than deal with the overriding issues at hand. Mr. Speaker, Congress does not have the right or the expertise to make these decisions for the American people. The last time Members were facing a life-or-death decision, or their constituents were facing a life-or-death situation, who would they want with them in the emergency room? Did they want their physician, their spiritual adviser, family members, or would that patient say wait until a Member of Congress gets here because Congress will have the last word on this issue? I am sure that the American public would give us a resounding no. This vote is pure politics. This measure is cynical and unconstitutional.”