Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 104 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 104 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 141 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1995 No. 175 House of Representatives The House met at 12:30 p.m. and was pro-choice Members who voted for the The truth is that the partial-birth called to order by the Speaker pro tem- bill. abortion procedure is never necessary pore [Mr. SHAYS]. One Member who had a 100-percent to protect either the life or the health f voting record with the National Abor- of the mother. Indeed, the procedure tion Rights Action League said, and I poses significant risk to maternal DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO quote, ``I'm not just going to vote in health, risks such as uterine rupture TEMPORE such a way that I have to put my con- and the development of cervical incom- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- science on the shelf.'' He continued by petence. fore the House the following commu- stating that it ``undermines the credi- Dr. Pamela Smith, director of medi- nication from the Speaker: bility of the pro-choice movement to cal education at the department of ob- WASHINGTON, DC, be defending such an indefensible pro- stetrics and gynecology at Mount Sinai November 7, 1995. cedure.'' Hospital in Chicago has written, and I I hereby designate the Honorable CHRIS- So, how have abortion advocates quote, ``There are absolutely no obstet- TOPHER SHAYS to act as Speaker pro tempore mounted a defense of such an indefensi- rical situations encountered in this on this day. ble procedure? They do so by ignoring country which require a partially-de- NEWT GINGRICH, the painful reality, by denying the un- livered human fetus to be destroyed to Speaker of the House of Representatives. deniable truth, and by twisting and dis- preserve the health of the mother. Par- f torting the well-established facts. tial-birth abortion is a technique de- Abortion advocates claim that H.R. MORNING BUSINESS vised by abortionists for their own con- 1833 would jail doctors who perform venience, ignoring the known health The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- lifesaving abortions. This statement risk to the mother. The health status ant to the order of the House of May 12, makes me wonder whether the oppo- of women in this country will only be 1995, the Chair will now recognize nents of H.R. 1833 have even bothered enhanced by the banning of this proce- Members from lists submitted by the to read the bill. H.R., 1833 makes spe- dure.'' majority and minority leaders for cific allowances for a practitioner who Proponents of the partial-birth abor- morning hour debates. The Chair will reasonably believes a partial-birth tion method have also claimed that the alternate recognition between the par- abortion is necessary to save the life of procedure is only used to kill babies ties, with each party limited to not to a mother. No one can be prosecuted with serious disabilities. Focusing the exceed 30 minutes, and each Member and convicted under this bill for per- debate on babies with disabilities is a except the majority and minority lead- forming a partial-birth abortion which blatant attempt to avoid addressing er limited to not to exceed 5 minutes. is necessary to save the life of the the reality of this inhuman procedure. The Chair recognizes the gentleman mother. Anyone who has any doubt Remember the brutal reality of what from Florida [Mr. CANADY] for 5 min- about that should take a look at the is done in partial-birth abortion. The utes. text of the bill itself. baby is partially delivered alive, then f Of course, there is not a shred of evi- stabbed through the skull. No baby's dence to suggest that a partial-birth life should be taken in this manner, H.R. 1833, THE PARTIAL-BIRTH abortion is ever necessary to save a whether that baby is perfectly healthy ABORTION BAN ACT OF 1995 mother's life. In fact, the American or suffers from the most tragic of dis- Mr. CANADY of Florida. Mr. Speak- Medical Association Council on Legis- abilities. er, the National Abortion Rights Ac- lation, which includes 12 doctors, voted Further, neither Dr. Haskell nor Dr. tion League has called H.R. 1833, the unanimously to recommend that the McMahon, the two abortionists who Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1995, AMA board of trustees endorse H.R. have publicly discussed their use of ``[O]ne of the most extreme, out- 1833. The council ``felt [partial-birth this procedure, claim that this tech- rageous, and anti-choice measures ever abortion] was not a recognized medical nique is used only in limited cir- to come before Congress.'' technique and agreed that the proce- cumstances. In fact, Dr. Haskell told Mr. Speaker, this must come as news dure is basically repulsive.'' In the end, the American Medical News, and I to the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. the AMA board decided to remain neu- quote, ``I'll be quite frank: Most of my GEPHARDT], the gentlewoman from Ar- tral on H.R. 1833, but it is significant abortions are elective in that 20- to 24- kansas [Mrs. LINCOLN], and the gen- that the council of 12 doctors did not week range. Probably 20 percent are for tleman from Rhode Island [Mr. KEN- recognize partial-birth abortion as a genetic reasons and the other 80 per- NEDY], three of the many staunchly proper medical technique. cent are purely elective.'' b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H 11783 H 11784 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE November 7, 1995 Dr. McMahon claims that most of the Samoa [Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA] is recog- White House has held a number of abortions he performs are nonelective, nized during morning business for 5 meetings with nonrecognized tribes so but his definition of nonelective is ex- minutes. that they could discuss recognition tremely broad. He describes abortions Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, with administration officials. As a di- performed because of a mother's youth on January 25, 1995, I and my good rect result of those meetings, the De- or depression as ``nonelective.'' I do not friends, Mr. GEORGE MILLER, Mr. BILL partment of the Interior set up a task believe that the American people sup- RICHARDSON, Mr. PAT WILLIAMS, and force of administration people and rep- port aborting babies in the second and Mr. PETER DEFAZIO, introduced the In- resentatives of nonrecognized tribes to third trimesters because the mother is dian Federal Recognition Administra- assist the Department in formulating a young or suffers from depression. tive Procedures Act of 1995. H.R. 671, is position on whether the recognition Dr. McMahon sent me a graph which an effort to create an efficient and fair criteria could be improved. Further, shows that even at 26 weeks of gesta- procedure for extending Federal rec- only this month an administrative law tion, half the babies he aborted were ognition to Indian tribes. In my re- judge, in the first challenge to a deci- perfectly healthy, and many of the ba- marks at that time, I stated that intro- sion against recognition, has essen- bies he described as flawed had condi- duction of the legislation was only the tially reversed the Bureau of Indian Af- tions that were compatible with long starting point for further discussions fairs. In doing so, the judge was critical life, either with or without a disability. and debate and that I looked forward of the Bureau's methodology and inter- For example, Dr. McMahon listed nine to the advice and input of colleagues, pretation of their own criteria. The partial-birth abortions performed be- the agency, and tribes. I hope to con- judge's views of the existing criteria cause the baby had a cleft lip. tinue to work with Chairman MCCAIN can be considered a suggestion that the The National Abortion Federation, a Cochairman INOUYE, and the members criteria could be improved. group representing abortionists, has of the Senate Committee on Indian Af- Mr. Speaker, I have reviewed all of admitted that partial-birth abortions fairs to craft a bill which provides a those developments and taken into ac- are performed for many reasons. In fair and timely procedure to provide count the views of the interested par- 1993, the National Abortion Federation Federal recognition to Indian tribes. ties. As a result, I have modified H.R. counseled its members, and I quote, Mr. Speaker, the current test is not 671 to improve both the procedures and ``Do not apologize. This is a legal abor- fair, nor is it administered in a timely the criteria that were in the original tion procedure,'' and stated, ``There are manner. I have recounted from this bill. The modifications will advance many reasons why women have late floor many times the process we have the goals of recognition reform legisla- abortions: Life endangerment, fetal in- put Indian tribes through. The current tionÐproviding a more objective, con- dications, lack of money, health insur- recognition process requires tribes to sistent, and streamlined standard for ance.'' All of these are reasons that are provide written records of tribal gov- acknowledging groups as federally rec- advanced, and have been advanced in ernments during periods when the U.S. ognized Indian tribes. the past, these are not reasons that Government disbanded the tribes and Mr.