Political Quotes

“as a cosponsor of H.R. 4965, I rise in strong support of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2002. By passing this legislation we will once again take a step towards banning the truly horrifying practice whereby an innocent life is taken in the most gruesome of procedures. Used in second and third trimester abortions, the ``partial-birth'' procedure involves pulling some portion of the fetus into the birth canal, crushing the skull and killing the fetus, before removing the fetus from the mother's body. Congress passed legislation in each of the last three Congresses banning partial-birth abortions. In the 104th and 105th Congresses, President Clinton vetoed the partial-birth abortion bans. Both times the House voted to override the veto, but the Senate sustained it. This bill makes it a federal crime for a physician, in or affecting interstate commerce, to perform a so-called partial birth abortion, unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother. Under this legislation, anyone who knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion would be subject to fines and up to two years in prison. The bill provides that a defendant could seek a hearing before the state medical board on whether his or her conduct was necessary to save the life of the mother and those findings may be admissible at trial. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this very important legislation.”