Louise Slaughter: “Mr. Speaker, one of the things that has been going through my mind a lot since the 19 children were found in the 2-room…”

“Mr. Speaker, one of the things that has been going through my mind a lot since the 19 children were found in the 2-room apartment in Chicago sitting on the floor fighting with the dogs over neck bones is that one of the things that right to life and all of us should really be concerned about is the children that are born, and, rather than standing outside clinics, we might want to go outside apartments and help those children who are here to indeed have a life. Mr. Speaker, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act is designed to give the Department of Justice the necessary authority to fight a widespread campaign of interference with the access of women to reproductive health services. Today is not the first time that I have stood before this House and read through a list of examples of violence against women, their doctors and women's health clinics. But, since we are once again forced to plead the case, I will go through the list again. We are not talking about peaceful protest; we are talking about vandalism, arson, bombing, gassing, physical attacks, death threats, shootings and murder--against clinic staff, as well as their families, and against the women who need health services these clinics offer. Between 1977 and April of this year, over 1,000 acts of violence were reported against clinics and health care providers.…”