Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, this is a virtual reality debate as we know. This bill is not going to go anywhere. This is a debate that should have occurred months ago, and the opponents of free debate on the floor held us up for months, but now we will have the debate. I think we can and should do it in a civilized way. This is the issue. The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook) in the Committee on Appropriations inserted language into the title 10 program, the program that provides family planning services to Americans, to lower income Americans, so that they can avoid pregnancy and provide services so that they can avoid sexually transmitted diseases. The language of the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook) says that, when a minor, a 17-year-old teenager who has been sexually active for a long time, as is usually the case, comes into a clinic. The clinic counselor must send a letter to the parents and the child. The minor cannot receive services for 5 additional days. I understand the gentleman's intent. I am a parent. But it is wrong-headed. The result of that language, the result of that policy is that if young people do not go into centers and clinics, they do not get the services they need, they become pregnant, and they get diseases.”