On the recordJanuary 19, 2018
I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama for her leadership on this issue. To my friends across the aisle, I want to say I would be hopeful that you all would take a few minutes and actually read this legislation. It is not a lengthy bill. It doesn't take that long to read. Quite precisely, it does a few simple things that need to be done, that need to be done to build on the 2002 law that this body chose to pass and put on the books. Now, the reason that we chose to do this is because of what we have learned since 2002. If you go in and look at the Kermit Gosnell trial and that house of horrors, and if you take the time to listen to some of this testimony, there was a healthcare worker who said, during the years of working in that facility, that there could have been as many as 100 babies who survived a botched abortion. And what happened? They lost their life. So this bill is about protecting women and babies. It is not about Roe v. Wade. It is all about protecting women and babies. It gives that mother who has that abortion, and it is botched, and that baby survives--it gives her that civil right of action that she ought to have. It does set that standard that you have got to have medical care provided to these precious, precious babies who survive that. You do that immediately. They deserve that standard of care. It says if a healthcare professional does not make the choice to provide that care, they are going to face those criminal penalties.…
