From the Congressional Record, 1-19-11
Page H341
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Voice for the Voiceless
Mr. PEARCE. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey, and I appreciate
his constant leadership on this issue of life.
Our Founding Fathers told us that life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness were treasured values in this country. I think that it
was no accident that they placed life at the beginning of that
order.
It is easy to believe that any society is judged for its quality
based on its willingness to be a voice for those who are the most
fragile, those who have the least standing in that society. And in
this society and in all societies, none are with a quieter, less
obvious voice than the unborn. So our willingness to stand up and
support them is a reflection on the quality of this culture, and we
need to do more.
Today, in Santa Fe and elsewhere around the country, pro-life
citizens join in a March for Life. While my schedule for votes here
today prevented me from being there, I am happy to associate my
voice with them tonight and in the months to come. Since Roe v. Wade
was decided, over 50 million lives have been terminated through
abortion.
Great strides have been made legislatively. It is now wrong to
take a minor across a State line. The partial-birth abortion process
has been banned. Some States have passed a law requiring a 24-hour
waiting period, but much is left to be accomplished.
Ultimately, the question comes up: When does life begin? The
Supreme Court Justices who decided the case actually expressed that
concern themselves about when life began, but that was a discussion
of decades ago. Science today leaves no doubt. The DNA is
established on day one and never changes through the baby's life.
The sonogram is evolving our Nation's view on abortion as we speak.
For many who have been educated in our universities, they believe
life begins at birth. But the young, who are looking at the
sonograms and seeing that heartbeat within the first few days,
recognize that they can no longer believe that this is some mass of
tissue with inconsequential matters at risk.
And so this Nation is beginning to become more pro-life day by
day, and that is a blessing, because in the end, every society will
be judged by its willingness to speak for those with no voice.
Again, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey. I am proud to add
my voice to those who speak for the most fragile--the unborn. May
God bless this country, and may God bless the mothers of this
country.
Thank you.
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