Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I stand once again before this body with yet another Sunset Memorial.

It is March 12, 2008 in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sun set today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand--just today. That is more than the number of innocent American lives that were lost on September 11th, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,833 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of our own children.

Some of them, Madam Speaker, cried and screamed as they died, but because it was amniotic fluid passing over their vocal cords instead of air, we couldn't hear them.

All of them had at least four things in common.

They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. Each of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same. And all the gifts that these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Madam Speaker, perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Madam Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet Madam Speaker, another day has passed, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility, as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have been giving them.

But perhaps tonight, Madam Speaker, maybe someone new who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,833 days spent killing nearly 50 million unborn children in America is enough; and that the America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust, is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their babies than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Madam Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are also numbered and that all too soon each of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time.

And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is March 12, 2008--12,833 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this nation with the blood of its own children--this, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Madam Speaker, I stand once again before this body with yet another Sunset Memorial.

It is March 11, 2008 in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sun set today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand--just today. That is more than the number of innocent American lives that were lost on September 11th, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,832 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of our own children.

Some of them, Madam Speaker, cried and screamed as they died, but because it was amniotic fluid passing over their vocal cords instead of air, we couldn't hear them.

All of them had at least four things in common.

They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. Each one of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same. And all the gifts that these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Madam Speaker, perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Madam Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion Declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet Madam Speaker, another day has passed, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have been given them.

But perhaps tonight, Madam Speaker, maybe someone new who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,832 days spent killing nearly 50 million unborn children in America is enough; and that the America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust, is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their babies than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Madam Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are also numbered and that all too soon each of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time.

And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is March 11, 2008--12,832 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this nation with the blood of its own children--this, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Madam Speaker, I stand with yet another sunset memorial. It is March 10, 2008, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sunset today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand. That's just today, Madam Speaker. That's more than the number of innocent American lives that were lost on September 11, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,831 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down by an arrogant Supreme Court. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of our own children.

Some of them, Madam Speaker, cried and screamed as they died, but because it was amniotic fluid passing over their vocal cords instead of air, we couldn't hear them.

All of them had at least four things in common: They were each just little babies that had done nothing wrong to anyone; each one of them died a nameless and lonely death; and each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same; and all the gifts these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Yet, even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation still clings to a blind, invisible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Madam Speaker, perhaps it's important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the only chief and only object of good government.''

The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says, ``No State shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Madam Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our core commitment to this self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the whole world. It is who we are.

And yet, Madam Speaker, another day has passed, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibilities as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection that we should have given them.

It seems so sad, Madam Speaker, that this sunset memorial may be the only public remembrance these children who died today will ever have in this Chamber. So, as small a gesture as it might be, I would respectfully ask this moment for a moment of silence for those lost little Americans.

Madam Speaker, let me conclude in the hope that perhaps someone new who hears this sunset memorial tonight will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,831 days killing nearly 50 million unborn children in America is enough; and that the America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their babies than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Madam Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are also numbered, and that all too soon, each of us will walk through these Chambers for the very last time. And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene at yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day when we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is March 10, 2008, Madam Speaker, 12,831 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this Nation with the blood of its own children. This, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Madam Speaker, I stand once again before this body with yet another Sunset Memorial.

It is March 6, 2008 in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sun set today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand--just today. That is more than the number of innocent American lives that were lost on September 11; only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,827 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of our own children.

Some of them, Madam Speaker, cried and screamed as they died, but because it was amniotic fluid passing over their vocal cords instead of air, we couldn't hear them.

All of them had at least four things in common.

They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. Each one of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same. And all the gifts that these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Madam Speaker, perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Madam Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion Declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet, Madam Speaker, another day has passed, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have been giving them.

But perhaps tonight, Madam Speaker, maybe someone new who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,827 days spent killing nearly 50 million unborn children in America is enough; and that the America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust, is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their babies than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Madam Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are also numbered and that all too soon each of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time.

And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is March 6, 2008--12,827 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this Nation with the blood of its own children--this, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Mr. Speaker, today marks a tragic anniversary in American history. It was on this day in 1857 that the Supreme Court of the United States handed down the now famous Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling, saying that Dred Scott, a black man born into slavery but living in a free State, was not a United States citizen and could not sue for his freedom in Federal court.

In a 7-2 ruling handed down by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, a former slave owner from Maryland, the court found that the black man was not a person under the Constitution; that he was property and not a person; and that as such, he was both prohibited from bringing suit against any citizen in Federal court and was made subject to the fifth amendment of the Constitution which prohibits taking property from its owner without ``due process.''

The court said that all blacks, slaves as well as free, were not and could never be citizens of the United States, and determined that blacks ``had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and that the Negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his,'' the white man's, ``benefit.''

By that one ruling, nearly 4 million slaves living in America were deemed by an erudite judiciary as less than human, unworthy to be protected; and it took an entire Civil War to reverse the tragedy of that decision.

Dred Scott tasted the freedom that he believed was the birthright of every human soul only a short time because tragically, after his emancipation in May of 1857, he lived in the freedom that he longed for for only 9 months before he passed away.

Today we remember the horrendous scar upon the soul of our Nation of slavery and the Dred Scott decision. And we all stand in retrospect and wonder how those people in that day could have been so blind to the unalienable truth that all men are created equal.

And yet today, Mr. Speaker, here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, we have allowed almost 50 million of our own unborn children to be killed in their mothers' wombs as a result of yet another Supreme Court decision that denied their personhood and the most basic constitutional right of all, that being the right to live.

It has now been exactly 12,827 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down by the Supreme Court. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of its own children.

Yet today, even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims yet today, those yet unborn.

Winston Churchill said Americans always do the right thing after they have exhausted every other possibility. Americans are coming to realize that the avenues of heartlessness and selfishness are now exhausted. Americans are beginning to understand that if we as a society do not possess the courage and the will to protect innocent unborn children, that in the final analysis we will never find the will or the courage to protect any kind of liberty or rights for anyone.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here. Thomas Jefferson said: ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

Mr. Speaker, the rise and fall of slavery in America, if it teaches us anything, it is that the evil about us eventually and completely collapses upon itself. The time is long past for Roe v. Wade, the bloodiest court decision in the history of humanity, to take its place alongside the Dred Scott decision in the ash heap of history.

Mr. Speaker, it is March 5, 2008, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sun set today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand--just today. That is more than the number of innocent American lives that were lost on September 11th, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,826 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million children. And all of them had at least four things in common.

They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. And each one of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same.

All the gifts that these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Mr. Speaker, those noble heroes lying in frozen silence out in Arlington National Cemetery did not die so America could shred her own Constitution, as well as her own children, by the millions. It seems that we are never quite so eloquent as when we condemn the genocidal crimes of past generations, those who allowed their courts to strip the black man and the Jew of their constitutional personhood, and then proceeded to murderously desecrate millions of these, God's own children.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Mr. Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion Declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet another day has passed, Mr. Speaker, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have given them.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that this discussion presents this Congress and the American people with two destiny questions.

The first that all of us must ask ourselves is very simple: Does abortion really kill a baby? If the answer is ``yes,'' there is a second destiny question that inevitably follows.

And it is this, Mr. Speaker: Will we allow ourselves to be dragged by those who have lost their way into a darkness where the light of human compassion has gone out and the predatory survival of the fittest prevails over humanity? Or will America embrace her destiny to lead the world to cherish and honor the God-given miracle of each human life?

Mr. Speaker, it has been said that every baby comes with a message, that God has not yet despaired of mankind. And I mourn that those 4,000 messages sent to us today will never be heard. Mr. Speaker, I also have not yet despaired. Because tonight maybe someone new, maybe even someone in this Congress, who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,826 days spent legally killing nearly 50 million children in America is enough, and that the America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust, is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their babies than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Mr. Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are also numbered and that all too soon each of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time.

And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is March 5, 2008--12,826 days since Roe v. Wade--in the land of free and the home of the brave.

Mr. Speaker it is March 4, 2008, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sun set today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand--just today. That is more than the number of innocent American lives that were lost on September 11th, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,825 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million children. And all of them had at least four things in common.

They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. And each one of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same.

All the gifts that these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Mr. Speaker, those noble heroes lying in frozen silence out in Arlington National Cemetery did not die so America could shred her own Constitution, as well as her own children, by the millions. It seems that we are never quite so eloquent as when we condemn the genocidal crimes of past generations, those who allowed their courts to strip the black man and the Jew of their constitutional personhood, and then proceeded to murderously desecrate millions of these, God's own children.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Mr. Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion Declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet another day has passed, Mr. Speaker, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have been given them.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that this discussion presents this Congress and the American people with two destiny questions.

The first that all of us must ask ourselves is very simple: Does abortion really kill a baby? If the answer is ``yes,'' there is a second destiny question that inevitably follows.

And it is this, Mr. Speaker: Will we allow ourselves to be dragged by those who have lost their way into a darkness where the light of human compassion has gone out and the predatory survival of the fittest prevails over humanity? Or will America embrace her destiny to lead the world to cherish and honor the God-given miracle of each human life?

Mr. Speaker, it has been said that every baby comes with a message, that God has not yet despaired of mankind. And I mourn that those 4,000 messages sent to us today will never be heard. Mr. Speaker, I also have not yet despaired. Because tonight maybe someone new, maybe even someone in this Congress, who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,825 days spent legally killing nearly 50 million children in America is enough, and that the America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust, is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their babies than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Mr. Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are also numbered and that all too soon each of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time.

And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is March 4, 2008--12,825 days since Roe v. Wade--in the land of free and the home of the brave.

Mr. Speaker, I stand once again before this body with yet another Sunset Memorial.

It is February 28, 2008, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sunset today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand--just today. That is more than the number of innocent American lives that were lost on September 11th, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,820 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of our own children.

Some of them, Mr. Speaker, cried and screamed as they died, but because it was amniotic fluid passing over their vocal cords instead of air, we couldn't hear them.

All of them had at least four things in common.

They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. Each one of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same. And all the gifts that these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Mr. Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion Declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet Mr. Speaker, another day has passed, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have given them.

But perhaps tonight, Mr. Speaker, maybe someone new who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,820 days spent killing nearly 50 million unborn children in America is enough; and that the America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust, is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their babies than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Mr. Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are also numbered and that all too soon each of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time.

And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is February 28, 2008--12,820 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this Nation with the blood of its own children--this, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Madam Speaker, I stand once again before this body with yet another Sunset Memorial. It is February 27, 2008, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sun sets today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children will have been killed by abortion on demand, just today. That is more than the number of innocent American lives lost on September 11, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,819 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of its own children.

Some of them cried and screamed as they died, but because it was amniotic fluid passing over their vocal cords instead of air, we couldn't hear them. All of them had at least four things in common: They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. Each one of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same. And all the gifts these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Madam Speaker, perhaps it's important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here. Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

The 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says, ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of

law.'' Protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

Yet, Madam Speaker, another day has passed, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have given them.

But perhaps tonight, Madam Speaker, maybe someone new who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that can never be expressed, and that 12,819 days spent killing nearly 50 million unborn children in America is enough, and that the America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their unborn children than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Madam Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are numbered and that all too soon each of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time. And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day when we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is February 27, 2008, 12,819 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this Nation with the blood of its own children. This, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Mr. Speaker, I stand once again before this body with yet another sunset memorial. It is February 26, 2008, in the land of the free, home of the brave; and before the sun sets today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand. That's just today, Mr. Speaker. That is more than the number of innocent Americans that we lost on September 11, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,818 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down; and since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of its own children. Some of them cried and screamed as they died; but because it was amniotic fluid passing over the vocal cords instead of air, we could not hear them in this Chamber.

All of them had at least four things in common: first, they were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. Second, each one of them died a nameless and lonely death and each of their mothers, whether she realizes it or not, will never be quite the same. And all of the gifts these children might have brought to humanity are now lost to us forever.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to blind, invincible ignorance while history repeats itself in our own silent genocide which mercilessly annihilates the most helpless victims to date, those yet unborn.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps it's important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here. Thomas Jefferson said: ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.'' The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Mr. Speaker, protecting the lives of our citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet, Mr. Speaker, another day has passed, and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have given them.

Perhaps today, Mr. Speaker, maybe someone new who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,818 days spent killing nearly 50 million unborn children is enough and that America, the same America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust, is still courageous enough, compassionate enough to find a better way than abortion on demand.

So tonight may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this Chamber and in this sunshine of life are numbered and that all too soon each one of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time. And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn, may that be the day when we finally find the humanity, the courage and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is February 26, 2008, Mr. Speaker, 12,818 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this Nation with the blood of its own children, and this is in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Madam Speaker, I once again stand before this body with yet another sunset memorial. It is February 25, 2008, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sun set in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand just today. That is more than the number of innocent Americans lost in September 11's tragedy, only it happens every day.

Madam Speaker, it has now been exactly 12,817 days since the travesty called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of its own children. Some of them, Madam Speaker, cried and screamed as they died, but because it was amniotic fluid passing over the vocal cords instead of air, we couldn't hear them.

All of them had at least four things in common. They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. Each one of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same. And all the gifts these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Yet, even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to a blind invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims yet to date, those unborn.

Madam Speaker, perhaps it's important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here. Thomas Jefferson said: ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.''

Madam Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath.

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is that clarion declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet, Madam Speaker, another day has passed and we in this body have failed again to honor that foundational commitment. We've failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died today without the protection we should have given them.

But perhaps tonight, Madam Speaker, maybe someone who hears this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill little babies, and that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,817 days spent killing nearly 50 million unborn children in America is enough, and that America, that same America that rejected human slavery and marched into Europe to arrest the Nazi Holocaust is still courageous and compassionate enough to find a better way for mothers and their babies than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Madam Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are also numbered, and that all too soon each one of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time. And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we finally hear the cries of the innocent unborn. May that be the day when we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty, to protect these, the least of our tiny little brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge called abortion on demand.

It is February 25, 2008, Madam Speaker, 12,817 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this Nation with the blood of its own children. This in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 43, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 44 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 45 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I stand once again before this body with another Sunset Memorial.

It is February 14, 2008, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and before the sun set today in America, almost 4,000 more defenseless unborn children were killed by abortion on demand--just today. That is more than the number of innocent American lives that we lost on September 11th, only it happens every day.

It has now been exactly 12,806 days since the tragic judicial fiat called Roe v. Wade was handed down. Since then, the very foundation of this Nation has been stained by the blood of almost 50 million of our own children.

Some of them, Madam Speaker, cried and screamed as they died, but because it was amniotic fluid passing over their vocal cords instead of air, we couldn't hear them. And all of them had at least four things in common.

They were each just little babies who had done nothing wrong to anyone. Each one of them died a nameless and lonely death. And each of their mothers, whether she realizes it immediately or not, will never be the same. And all the gifts that these children might have brought to humanity are now lost forever.

Yet even in the full glare of such tragedy, this generation clings to blindness and invincible ignorance while history repeats itself and our own silent genocide mercilessly annihilates the most helpless of all victims to date, those yet unborn.

Madam Speaker, perhaps it is important for those of us in this Chamber to remind ourselves again of why we are really all here.

Thomas Jefferson said, ``The care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government.''

Madam Speaker, protecting the lives of our innocent citizens and their constitutional rights is why we are all here. It is our sworn oath. The phrase in the 14th amendment capsulizes our entire Constitution. It says: ``No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.''

The bedrock foundation of this Republic is the declaration, not the casual notion, but the declaration of the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed

by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every conflict and battle our Nation has ever faced can be traced to our commitment to this core self-evident truth. It has made us the beacon of hope for the entire world. It is who we are.

And yet Madam Speaker, another day has passed, and we in this body have failed again to honor that commitment. We failed our sworn oath and our God-given responsibility as we broke faith with nearly 4,000 more innocent American babies who died without the protection we should have been giving them.

But perhaps tonight, Madam Speaker, maybe someone new who heard this sunset memorial will finally realize that abortion really does kill a baby, that it hurts mothers in ways that we can never express, and that 12,806 days spent killing nearly 50 million unborn children in America is enough; and that this Nation is great enough to find a better way than abortion on demand.

So tonight, Madam Speaker, may we each remind ourselves that our own days in this sunshine of life are numbered and that all too soon each of us will walk from these Chambers for the very last time.

And if it should be that this Congress is allowed to convene on yet another day to come, may that be the day when we hear the cries of the unborn at last. May that be the day we find the humanity, the courage, and the will to embrace together our human and our constitutional duty to protect the least of these, our tiny American brothers and sisters, from this murderous scourge upon our Nation called abortion on demand.

It is February 14, 2008--12,806 days since Roe v. Wade first stained the foundation of this Nation with the blood of its own children--this, in the land of free and the home of the brave.