Rep. Wagner Lauds Passage of Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives tonight passed H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, 242-184-1. Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), a co-sponsor of the bill and a lifelong advocate for the unborn, spoke on the House floor shortly before its passage.

Image

CLICK HERE TO WATCH REP. WAGNER DEFEND RIGHTS OF UNBORN BABIES

TRANSCRIPT:

I thank the gentle lady for yielding. Madame Speaker, I rise today in support of life.

Life begins at conception.

We know that after 3 weeks, the baby has a heartbeat. After 7 weeks, the baby begins kicking in the womb. By week 8 the baby begins to hear and fingerprints start to form. After 10 weeks, the baby is able to turn his or her head, frown, and get the hiccups. By week 11, the baby can grasp with his or her hands.

By week 12 the baby can suck his or her thumb. By week 15 the baby has an adult's taste buds. At week 18, the baby can flex his or her arms and legs. And by week 20, not only can the baby recognize the sound of his or her mother's voice, but that baby can also feel pain.

It is not only the pain of the child that we must be concerned with, but also the pain of the mother.

H.R. 36 provides protections for both the woman and the child. This bill is pro-woman – it encourages discussion, medical treatment and counseling for a woman who has been victimized.

This bill is pro-woman – it empowers women with a civil right of action if this law is not followed.

And this bill is pro-child - it ensures that a baby born alive will be given life-saving treatment.

This bill is a pro-woman AND pro-child solution to what our science and our values already tell us – that a baby at 20 weeks can feel pain, and that baby deserves protection.

Madame Speaker, I am for life at all stages. I am for the life of the baby and I am also for the life of the mother. And I will continue to work towards the day when abortion is not only illegal, but absolutely unthinkable.