Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I would like to spend a few minutes this morning discussing the recent report of the Commission to End Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. Chartered by Congress under the Protect our Kids Act of 2013, the Commission's goal is to provide a framework for ending child maltreatment fatalities in the United States. For 2 years they have studied and examined this problem, and now we have the results. The death of any child is a tragedy. While the data on child deaths related to abuse and neglect is incomplete, the Commission estimates that there were over 1,500 such cases in 2014. The majority of the children in these heartbreaking cases were younger than a year old, and many of them only days and weeks into their young lives. Three-quarters of the deaths occurred in children under age 3. Madam Speaker, these are shocking figures, but we are talking about much more than just numbers. These stories of lives cut short, of senseless deaths, are a rallying cry for action, and no community or State is immune. In my home State of Rhode Island, at least four children have died in State care since October, two of them infants. In neighboring Massachusetts, Bella Bond's story is a heartbreaking reminder of our moral obligation to act in defense of all children. Bella only ever knew abuse and neglect. She died before her third birthday, allegedly beaten to death by her drug-addicted parents.…”