John Hope Bryant: “I guess we have moved from the spirit of Hershey and our bipartisan retreat and we are now talking about the radical…”

“I guess we have moved from the spirit of Hershey and our bipartisan retreat and we are now talking about the radical right and calling names. I would remind the gentlewoman from California that this radical right that opposed this procedure voted in record numbers last year, 288 Members of the House, which showed a bipartisan spirit. Both Democrats and Republicans supported this ban. If they are all radical right, then more power to the radical right. I want to talk very quickly on this issue of health. I sat on the floor last year and heard the arguments from the other side, maybe it is the radical left, I do not know, using numbers: There are only 500 of the procedures done a year and it is only in the most grossly abnormal cases. However, Mr. Fitzsimmons cleared that up when he came out and said no, that is an absolute lie. We have seen reports out of a New Jersey newspaper where there are 1,500 procedures like this done in one hospital. Are there that many abnormalities in one hospital that they do 1,500 of these? No. I suggest to my colleagues that these are being done for the convenience of the doctors. It is a grossly inhumane procedure. If it were a criminal penalty, it would be outlawed by the eighth amendment to the Constitution which prevents cruel and inhuman treatment.”