Nita Lowey: “after commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade just 6 months ago, we are…”

“after commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade just 6 months ago, we are reminded again today that the fight to preserve a woman's right to choose is far from over. We are here today considering a ban on so-called partial-birth abortions for the ninth time in 8 years because the proponents of this bill disagree with the Supreme Court. They want to overturn Roe v. Wade and Stenberg v. Carhart and go back to the days when women had no options, when they left the country or died in back alleys. In reflecting on the long debate over this bill starting in 1995, I was struck by something Sandra Day O'Connor said on CNN recently. Justice O'Connor said that she was drawn to the law because she saw the role it plays in shaping our society. "I don't think law often leads society," she said. "It really is a statement of society's beliefs in a way." The proponents of this bill and I would likely agree with Justice O'Connor, except I believe that Roe v. Wade continues to express our society's beliefs, and they do not. Roe said that the decision to terminate a pregnancy is private and personal and should be made by a woman and her family without undue interference from the government. I, and the American people, still believe that. Supporters of the bill do not. Roe and Stenberg said that a woman must never be forced to sacrifice her life or damage her health in order to bring a pregnancy to term.”