Providing for Consideration of H.R. 358, Protect Life Act

Floor Speech

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I thank my good friend for yielding me the time.

I stand in strong support of the Protect Life Act.

I thank my good friend, my colleague, Congressman Pitts, for introducing this important legislation because this bill will help ensure that no funds authorized or appropriated by the President's health care law will be used to pay for abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.

This is not something new. This is not something radical. This simply applies the bipartisan principles of the Hyde amendment, which has helped guide this Chamber's legislative deliberations for over three decades. It extends the same standards applied to Medicaid, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, and other federal programs.

The American people, Madam Speaker, have made it quite clear that they do not want their taxpayer dollars used to fund abortions. And the Stupak-Pitts amendment, as we know, was gutted in the Senate. The President's Executive order stating that the Hyde amendment would apply is not enough. Why? It is flawed because Executive orders can disappear as quickly as they are issued. But the Protect Life Act will create a solid framework that will safeguard taxpayer dollars.

We must protect the sanctity of an innocent human life, we must stand behind the rights of the unborn, and we must prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortions. That's why I'm proud to support the Protect Life Act and the rule for it.

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