Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which protects unborn babies who are capable of feeling pain from abortions. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Senate version of this bill and applaud our Leader for bringing the bill to the floor.
According to the National Library of Medicine, a baby's major systems and structures develop at week 5 of fetal development. Blood cells, kidney cells, and nerve cells develop at this time; and the baby's brain, spinal cord, and heart begin to develop. During the sixth and seventh weeks, a baby's brain forms into five different areas and a baby's heart beats at a regular rhythm, with blood pumping through the main vessels. Lungs start to form during week 8, and all essential organs have begun to grow by week 9.
The National Library of Medicine reports that a baby's face is well-formed between weeks 11 and 14. Bones become harder between weeks 15 and 18, and the baby's liver and pancreas produce secretions. Between weeks 19 and 21, a baby can hear and swallow.
Some of my colleagues are aware that this issue is very personal for me. Our daughter Amy was born three months premature. She weighed 2 pounds and the doctor's advice was to wait and see. We took Amy to Wyoming's biggest hospital to get the best kind of care we could find. When my wife, Diana, and I would visit her, the nurses often told us it wasn't looking good. We were even asked if we had had Amy baptized. When we said she was, a relieved nurse said, ``Good. We've never lost a baptized preemie.''
Amy is a fighter, and she lived. Today, she is a teacher in Wyoming, and Diana and I were so proud to see her get married last year. What I learned from watching Amy is how hard a 6-month old baby struggles to live. I want babies like Amy to be protected. I firmly believe that every life demands our respect as a special gift from God, and I urge my colleagues to support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act as a step in the right direction.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source