Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Detective Travis Burrow for his remarkable contributions to his community as general case detective for the Great Falls Police Department.

This past week, Detective Burrow was named Officer of the Year by the Montana Police Protective Association for his service as lead investigator for major criminal activity in Great Falls. His investigations included high-profile cases such as homicides, kidnappings, robberies, arson, missing persons, and suspicious death investigations.

Detective Burrow's competence and experience has made him a valuable resource to the department, where he consults on his coworkers' cases and serves as a leader and mentor to his colleagues.

Detective Burrow continues to serve the Great Falls Police Department with honor and distinction.

I commend Detective Burrow for his outstanding service to Great Falls and the State of Montana and wish him and the department continued success.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding to me.

Madam Speaker, my constituents sent me here to Washington to fight tooth and nail on behalf of the unborn.

I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 239, the Equal Access to Contraception Act for Veterans. This radical piece of legislation would require taxpayers to subsidize the full cost of all contraception through the Department of Veterans Affairs, including Plan B and Ella.

Let me be clear, drugs like Plan B and Ella are not contraception, they are abortifacients. These chemical drugs prevent a newly conceived embryo, a human embryo, from implanting in the uterus and continuing to develop as a child. Again, that is not contraception, that is abortion.

Using taxpayer funding for abortions is not only wildly unpopular, it is immoral. It forces tens of millions of people who have personal or religious objections to abortion and abortifacient drugs to fund the termination of life. That must not and should not be the public's obligation. The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable, especially the unborn.

Since the ruling of Roe v. Wade, well over 62 billion abortions have occurred in the United States. To put it in perspective, that is more than the amount of worldwide casualties directly caused by World War II, the most deadly military conflict in the history of the world.

The loss of life on such a tragic, massive scale due to abortion is heinous. If passed, this legislation will increase abortions committed in the United States, and that is at the taxpayer's expense. This is absolutely unacceptable. We must do better as a Nation.

When this bill was considered in committee last month, a majority of the Republicans voted against it. Last week, we considered this bill under suspension of the rules, and fortunately, 187 of my Republican colleagues joined me and stood for life. Due to this strong showing of opposition, we were able to prevent the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass this bill under the suspension of the rules, dealing Speaker Pelosi a significant legislative defeat.

That is why Democrats--and even some Republicans, unfortunately--have brought this bill back to the floor today under a rule for debate. I hope the Republicans will be just as unified in opposition of this bill today. Another strong vote would send a message that the Republican Party is the party of life.

Our constituents expect us not to compromise in our defense of the unborn. To support legislation like H.R. 239, which promotes the killing of the unborn, at taxpayers' expense, is the ultimate betrayal.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.