Government Leaders on Abortion

BUNNING STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT DECISION UPHOLDING THE PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION BAN
 
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Jim Bunning today issued the following statement regarding the decision by the United States Supreme Court upholding the nationwide ban on partial birth abortion.

“This historic decision is great news for all of us who respect the need to protect the sanctity of human life,” said Bunning. “All forms of abortion are awful, but I can imagine nothing more disturbing than killing a human life by partial birth abortion. The Supreme Court has done the right thing by upholding the ban on this cruel and inhumane practice.”

BUNNING FLOOR SPEECH ON PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION
Senator Bunning Discusses The Need To Ban Partial Birth Abortions
 
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Jim Bunning today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the need to ban partial birth abortion:

“Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 3, the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.

“It is totally unbelievable to me that Congress yet again is working on legislation to make partial-birth abortions illegal.

“This is the fourth Congress in which the Senate will have considered this issue.

“In that time, innocent babies have been killed by this cruel and horrible practice. It’s time to finally — finally — end it once and for all.
“The Senate voted to ban partial birth abortion in the 104th Congress, the 105th Congress, and the 106th Congress. The first two attempts to ban this gruesome act were sent to the White House and vetoed by Bill Clinton.

“And in the last Congress the House passed a partial birth abortion ban, however, the Senate Democrat leadership refused to bring the issue up for consideration.

“I commend our leader — Senator Frist — for moving quickly to address this issue early in the 108th Congress. And I commend Senator Santorum for leading this effort.

“I am confident that this time the president at the other end of Pennsylvania avenue will act in defense of life by signing this proposal into law.

“Mr. President, all forms of abortion are gruesome procedures. But I cannot imagine anything more hideous than partial birth abortion.

“I will spare my colleagues a detailed description of this heinous procedure since is it so repulsive. And we have already seen the graphic pictures and illustrations outlining this infanticide.

“It is really hard to believe that we have to go through this exercise every Congress because nobody — with a straight face and clear conscience — can stand up and defend this procedure.
“The only way anyone can justify it is to say that — hey, it doesn’t matter — because not that many partial birth abortions are actually performed.

“Or they can try to cloud the issue by saying that partial birth abortions are only utilized in cases when the mother’s life is in jeopardy.

“Mr. President, we know this just isn’t true. We know that some of the most ardent and visible defenders of abortion have actually lied about the numbers. It’s not just a few hundred a year — it is thousands.
“But the numbers really shouldn’t make any difference. If it is wrong and inhumane we should ban it — whether it affects one or one million.

“But misleading facts about the numbers — trying to downplay the prevalence and the frequency of this procedure — are no justification for allowing this practice to continue.

“This bill does not ignore the health needs of women. It clearly makes an exception when the life of the mother is in jeopardy.

“The plain language of the legislation clearly says that the ban on partial birth abortions does not apply when such a procedure is considered necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness or injury.
“So, even though many medical experts insist that there is never any medical justification for a partial birth abortion, this bill goes the extra mile and permits it if the mother’s life is in jeopardy.

“Personally, I don’t think this makes much sense, but it just goes to show that those of us who support the bill are doing what we can to try to find a middle ground and to answer concerns that some of our colleagues still have.

“No one can deny that partial birth abortion is cruel. No one can deny that it is patently inhumane. No one can deny that it is grotesque.

“In fact, in the 8 years we have been debating this bill, no one has really come up with any defense of partial birth abortions that hold water.

“Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support this bill — support this ban. It is simply a matter of respect for human life.”

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