House Proceeding 01-21-10 on Jan 21st, 2010 :: 1:11:00 to 1:19:25
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1:10:56 to 1:11:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: those who are coming tomorrow to visit and march for life. now, at this time i'd like to yield to my colleague from ohio, of the pro-life caucus.

1:11:00 to 1:19:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jean Schmidt

1:11:18 to 1:11:42( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: ms. schmidt: i'd like to talk about this issue and not only say this is the 37th anniversary of one of the most darkest days in the u.s. history, but to talk about the ramifications of what that act did. to give you a little history, the pro-life movement actually began in cincinnati, ohio, and

1:11:43 to 1:12:03( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: it began before 1974 in a little place called college hill by folks by the name of barbara and jack wilky. jack's a doctor, wife, i believe, is a nurse but i could be wrong. but they and another folk was involved in another crusade in cincinnati and they became aware that this whole issue of abortion was suddenly creeping

1:12:04 to 1:12:24( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: up in the state legislatures and they wanted to make sure that ohio did not allow abortions. and so barbara and jack formed this little group to fight it in ohio. and it was barbara who said to jack, you know, jack, under the constitution everybody deserves the right to life, including that of the unborn.

1:12:25 to 1:12:46( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: and he looked at barbara and he said, that's the name of our movement. and look at how far that movement has grown. it is a national and international movement. i'm proud to lay claim that cincinnati is part of my district, and while college hill is not technically in my district it is part of cincinnati.

1:12:47 to 1:13:09( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: and i'm very proud of the work that barbara and jack have done. but also proud of the work that my parents did. i'm proud of the fact that they educated me on this issue when i was old enough to understand it because the impact on abortions really hurts all of us. but i truly believe that it

1:13:10 to 1:13:33( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: hurts women the most. and i want to talk a little bit about the privilege that it is for a woman to be able to have a child. you know, if we didn't have the opportunity to create, none of us would be here. but it is the woman's privilege to carry that baby inside of

1:13:34 to 1:13:56( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: her until it is full term. d women if they pay attention to themselves know that, yes, they're carrying that baby right from the beginning because we see some things changing inside of us. but you know, back in 1974, they didn't have all the fancy equipment that they have today. they didn't have al the

1:13:57 to 1:14:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: ultrasounds and the three dimensional ultrasounds. and so in 1974, maybe it was a little easier think that baby wasn't a life. but we know that it's a life today. and we know that it's a life immediately. it's interesting because the impact of the supreme court's

1:14:18 to 1:14:38( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: decision has been immediate and devastating in the united states. the number of abortions in this country skyrocketed after that horrible, horrible decision. it skyrocketed from about 750,000 in 1973 to more than

1:14:39 to 1:15:01( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: 1.3 million in 1977. think about the lives that are lost. think abouthe potential doctors, lawyers, football players, racecar drivers, politicians, presidents, air force generals that have been lost, moms, dads, sisters,

1:15:02 to 1:15:22( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: brothers, aunts, by 1985 the number has grown to an atonstonnishing 1.6 million abortions -- astonishing 1.6 million abortions in a year. and america became the highest number of i could go on. the reasons for abortions, well, easy to understand.

1:15:23 to 1:15:44( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: women thought it was a way to get out of be a unwanted pregnancy. they didn't understand that the consequences of that decision would be more lasting and more far reaching than it to have the child alone. as reasoning for these abortions, one national survey found that a quarter of women thought that the timing of

1:15:45 to 1:16:06( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: their pregnancy was wrong. another 19% thought they could not afford to keep the child at the time. and almost 10% thought they were just too young. simply put, these answers indicate that the short-term legacy of the supreme court's decision in roe was the enabling of the american woman to terminate the life of a

1:16:07 to 1:16:28( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: child when it happened to be inconvenient or fitting for their lifestyle. but you know, i could go but then the tide is changing and maybe it is changing because of the miracles of modern technology. maybe it is changing because a woman can find out immediately pregnant, immediately pay attention to the signs in her body, go to

1:16:29 to 1:16:49( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: the doctor, get that ultrasound and realize that baby's life, well and kicking. those moms know that's a real life human being. in 2005, the number of abortions performed were actually down to 1.2 million, a

1:16:50 to 1:17:10( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: modest but welcomed decrease, and these abortions were only done by 2% of this country's ob-gyn's. the reality is that abortion is no longer part of the mainstream medicine and a majority of hospitals in the united states, religious or sela perform elected abortions.

1:17:11 to 1:17:32( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: yes, the tide is but much has to be done. for example, the last 12 months have tested the pro-life movement here in this its initiatives, its resolve more than ever. during this time, pro-life advocates like me have been forced to fight vigorously to preserve this history's longstanding ban on the federal funding of abortions.

1:17:33 to 1:17:53( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: and it was a major success the bipartisan majority of the house of representatives voted in favor of including language equivalent to the hyde amendment in the infamous health care bill. the stupak amendment prohibited the funding of abortions. but we need to ntinue that fight on this issue in the

1:17:54 to 1:18:15( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: upcoming months to ensure that similar language is included in any final bill -- may come forth in this congress. they don't want federal tax dollars to play for elected abortions. y know, we have to fight for our medical establishments.

1:18:16 to 1:18:36( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: we have to fight to make sure that the conscious protections for our country's faith-based medical providers is in place. these individuals should not have to choose between their morals or their livelihood. they should not have to face discrimination or retribution for refusing to perform a

1:18:37 to 1:18:57( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: procedure that offend their deeply held beliefs. they should not be forced to participate in procedures, like abortion, that cannot b described as health care. and yet there are those in washington who want to abolish these c clawses for these people and --

1:18:58 to 1:19:18( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: clauses for these people and force them to do just that. we need to work to ensure that their faith base is held intact because when we choose to protect our country's medical providers and we make the

1:19:19 to 1:19:26( Edit History Discussion )

Jean Schmidt: choice to protect this bill, we need -- we legacy of roe v. wade. this is the way we can honor