Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2006

UNBORN CHILD PAIN AWARENESS ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - December 06, 2006)

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Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, last month, I attended the Supreme Court oral arguments on the so-called Partial Birth Abortion bill. You may recall that like the bill we have before us today, that bill included Congressional findings that found no basis in medical fact or science. The bill we are debating today is pseudoscience. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in consultation with physicians who are experts in fetal anesthesia and fetal surgery, knows of no legitimate scientific data or information that supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain. Requiring a physician to provide a patient with information that is not supported by scientific fact violates the established doctrine of medical informed consent. This bill is a clear attempt by the current antichoice majority to once again chip away at a woman's right to choose.

H.R. 6099 does not inform women who are seeking abortions, it misinforms them. It forces doctors and nurses to distribute a brochure filled with biased language written by anti-choice politicians, most of whom have no medical experience. This bill has nothing to do with improving women's healthcare or increasing access to medical information. It is just one more attempt for politicians to impose themselves on the unique and important doctor-patient relationship, which should remain private.

Mr. Speaker, in these last days of the 109th Congress, the anti-choice majority is lobbing a parting shot at American women. We shouldn't be wasting our time on bills that impede access to healthcare and impose further burdens on women seeking abortions.

I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R. 6099, a bill where the science is unproven and the result is harmful.

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