Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to reject these bills and to get to work. The U.S. Federal Government is set to shut down in a matter of days. Shouldn't we be working together to stop a preventable crisis that will hurt our economy and tarnish our Nation's image? It is our job. That is what we are here to do.

Instead, we are debating a bill that is based on a false premise. I am not talking about some debunked and discredited viral videos on the Internet, nor am I talking about the lie that defunding Planned Parenthood will prevent Federal dollars from funding abortion.

As many of my colleagues have already pointed out, our laws have long prohibited Federal dollars from being used to pay for abortion.

What I am talking about, Madam Speaker, is the 28 men who wrote Speaker Boehner this summer demanding--demanding--that we either defund Planned Parenthood or stop funding the Federal Government: 28 men who, I guarantee you, have never relied on just one health provider in their community to get a Pap smear; 28 men who, I guarantee you, have never had to end a sentence about their educational goals or their financial or career aspirations with the phrase, ``unless I get pregnant''; 28 men who hatched this plan to deny basic health care to millions of women--millions of women, I might add, that have been marginalized by this Congress. Their voices are not being heard today nor are they being represented, not in these bills.

Why?

Because Speaker Boehner would rather let 28 men set the agenda for this entire House than seek out bipartisan support needed to fund education programs, health care, veterans programs, and services for our seniors. That is what we should be doing.

Madam Speaker, these bills defund access to health care that has nothing--absolutely nothing--to do with abortion unless, Madam Speaker, I should say that we are talking about the more than 350,000 abortions that Planned Parenthood prevents every year by providing contraception and health care and education.

I understand that my colleagues don't recognize the reproductive rights of women. I understand that is their view. I, Madam Speaker, recognize that women have those rights, and I urge my colleagues to reject these bills.

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