movement, to change hearts and minds and to approach this issue with love and compassion. i will continue to work throughout my time in congress towards the day when abortion is >> i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. >> the gentlewoman time is expired. the german from colorado is recognized. >> i am pleased to yield to the distinguished general lady from california two minutes. >> the gentle lady is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you, madam speaker. i want to say to the other side of the aisle that i am grateful that some members of your caucus recognize that, indeed extremism on this issue has got to come to an end. and that you took steps to roll

back the ridiculous bill that you had intended to bring up today but did not have the votes for. they spoke out. and i am grateful to them. you know, in some respects, you look around this room and think is this a chamber of congress or is this a doctor's office? we might as well have stethoscopes and speculum's. that is what you are doing. you are trying to come between a woman and her physician. there is a lot of who block -- h oopla because the anniversary of roe versus wade. but roe versus wade was a decision by the supreme court of the united states of america. each of us, when we became members of this body, swor we would upholde the constitution.

my colleagues on the other side of the aisle spent hours and hours, trying to somehow find ways to undo constitutional decisions by the supreme court. so we are here again. having another debate. we will have another debate. but american women in this country are far more interested in equal pay for equal work, for paid sick leave, for a child care tax credit that has some resemblance to what reality is for this country. rather, we will continue to act like doctors here. i might add there are some hypocrites on the other side of the aisle have counseled their own girlfriends to have abortions. it is legal, members. we have a right to maintain this legality. i yield back. >> the gentlewoman's time is expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> madam speaker, i am pleased

to yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from california. another eloquent pro-life force. >> the german from california is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you, madam speaker. i am glad to be a californian in favor of h.r. 7. we have heard some interesting debate on this today. we are developing from the issue on things like higher pay or building more infrastructure, which we desperately need in california for water supply. even entering the word "childcare," we are talking about abortions. many of the words like "access." abortion has been accessible for 42 years. the central point is, are the

taxpayers compelled to pay for? 68% in the latest poll going to be complete -- compelled? people that are pro-life, many that are pro-choice, they might agree the idea of abortion should be available. but many disagree. a super majority. this would override a veto in the houses of this capital. the number of people that disagree with this. what we are finding in my own state of california, and interpretation of obamacare, and item hurting our economy for jobs, in california, we are

being compelled, whether you are a church religious charity employer, or individual, to include these provisions. paying for abortions. where is the freedom in that? where is the conscientious objection? where's the freedom of expression? i hear a lot from the other side of the aisle about the first amendment. this is a bureaucratic mandate. of opinion. largely done quietly and in the middle of the night, out of the public eye. we need this measure to send that message to californians, that we should not be compelled to provide this in our coverage. 's the gentleman. -- >> the gentleman's time is expired. >> i am pleased to yield one minute. >> the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. >> i thank my friend for

yielding. i feel compelled to point out after listening to the debate and hyperbole, passionate thoughts, of what a high priority this is for republican leadership, to bring this bill to the floor, such a high priority that they do not think about it until late last night. did not bring it to committee. rushed it to the floor. without having even thought of this legislation until late last night. such a high priority. we know, the american people know, this is political theater. listening to the debate, it is quite revealing, listening to some of the comments made, that this is not about taxpayer funding for the health care choices that american women legally have and the

constitution supports and the supreme court clarified 42 years ago. it is about preventing women from making that choice in the first place. that is a choice that ought to be made by women, by themselves in consultation with health care providers. not by members of congress. >> the gentleman's time is expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> may i inquire of the time remaining? >> 6.5 minutes remaining. the gentlewoman from colorado has 10.5 minutes remaining. >> i will reserve. >> the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. >> i am pleased to recognize the distinguished gentle lady in the district of columbia. congresswoman norton. >> the gentlewoman from the

district of columbia is recognized. >> my thanks to the gentle lady from colorado. is there any way to make an anti-woman anti-health anti-choice bill worse? sure, there is. add a provision that keeps a local jurisdiction from spending its own local funds on poor women exactly as 17 states of the union do. how on earth can you do that in this country? americans will ask. by declaring the district of columbia government to be a virtual federal agency. this bill hurts millions of women across the country who have a constitutional right to make choices about their own health. it compounds that discrimination by violating the oldest american principle -- local control over

local funds. the senate has repeatedly rejected this bill. and i expect them to have the good sense to repeat that rejection. i think the gentle lady. [applause] >> the gentlewoman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> madam speaker, i am pleased to yield two minutes to the gentle lady from california. >> the gentlewoman from california is recognized for two minutes. >> madam speaker, i rise today on the 42nd anniversary of the supreme court decision in roe versus wade in support of h.r. 7 . the no taxpayer funding for abortion at -- act. these restrictions will save lives. according to the research by the

allen institute policy that cut taxpayer funds for abortion will prevent 25% or more of abortions that would otherwise take place. furthermore, recent polling has demonstrated that the american public is widely opposed to taxpayer funds for abortion. according to a marist poll this january, 68% of respondents oppose taxpayer funds for abortion. a cnn poll from last year shows 56% of respondents oppose public funding for abortion. as the mother of four i know personally how precious the gift of human life is. and how important it is to honor that gift. as legislators, it is our job and responsibility to protect the innocent lives of the unborn and serve as a voice for those who do not yet have one. today, the u.s. house has a

historic opportunity to put an end to taxpayer funding for abortion. in drafting the virginia statute for religious freedom, thomas jefferson said, to compel a man to furnish contributions for opinions with which he disbelieves or of course is simple and tyrannical. i emphatically agreed and you'll that my time. >> the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. >> i am pleased to yield to one of our distinguished new members, the gentle lady from north carolina. two minutes. >> the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized. >> absolutely outrageous. that is what republicans' attempt to repeal roe versus wade on its 42nd anniversary is. absolutely outrageous.

a blatant attack on women and their family. a first attempt failed because women of both parties spoke out to let dale republican colleagues know they had gone too far. the women of this house know that a woman cannot call herself free who does not own or control their own body. we are free, madam speaker. here we go again. h.r. 7. another attempt to attack women's rights. it impact women of color. not on my watch. women of the house, let's do it again. let's prevent this legislation from. -- from moving forward. >> the gentlewoman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from passage -- pennsylvania is recognized. >> first of all abortion is not health care.

it is a brutal procedure that ends the lives of unborn children through suction dismemberment, decapitation, or chemical poison. it is the most violent form of death known to mankind. as the former chair of the feminist for life said, she said abortion breaks a mother's heart. she said there are always two victims in abortion. one is the baby, one is the mother. one is dead, one is wounded. madam speaker, this human rights abuse should not be paid for or encouraged by government taxpayer money. the women in silent no more awareness campaign, operation outcry, point out that abortion

not only takes the lives of the unborn child, it wouldn't all -- wounds all the mothers. >> the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. >> i am pleased to yield to the distinguished gentle lady from new york two minutes. >> the gentle lady from new york is recognized for two minutes. >> i think my friend diana for her bigger ship on this issue and so many other important issues. mr. speaker, despite the rhetoric we have heard from our republican colleagues about their commitment to focusing laserlike on what the american people care about most, creating jobs and accelerating economic growth, the only thing that they

have accelerated in this new congress is there a tax on a woman's constitutional right. in just their first seven days in office, our republican colleagues have introduced six anti-choice bills and brought two of them to the floor for debate. rather than focus on jobs, we have a bill that is not only an assault on women, it is fewer political posturing that is guaranteed to be vetoed. even if it makes it through the senate. the president has made that clear. we need to focus on what the vast majority of the american people have asked us to do -- create greater economic opportunity for all americans. i yield the balance of my time.

>> the gentlewoman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the gentle lady said what the american people care about. a marist poll released this month found that 68% of respondents oppose taxpayer funded abortion. a cnn poll showed 56% oppose public funding of abortion. january 2010 poll showed 67% of respondents oppose federal funding for abortions. a november 2009 washington post poll showed 61% of those government subsidies for health insurance that includes abortion. a september 2009 international communications research ball shows that 67% of respondents oppose a measure that would require people to pay for

abortion coverage with federal taxes. we know what the american people care about. i reserve. >> the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. >> if the gentleman has no further speakers, we are prepared to close. >> we have one for the speaker. then we will close. >> thank you, madam speaker. i just have to end with what i started with. there is no federal taxpayer funding for abortion. there has not been for many decades. some people, like me, think this is an ill-conceived public policy. but it is the law of the land. it is the law of the land every year in the appropriations bill. it is part of the compromise

that was negotiated with the affordable care act. we need to keep that in mind as we talk about what this legislation does. what this legislation will do is it will take away the ability of women in the exchanges to buy comprehensive health care insurance with their own money. i heard many speakers on the other side of the aisle today talk about their deep concern about abortion and unwanted pregnancies. i will tell you something. if you want to reduce unwanted pregnancies, which all of us in this room do, what you need to do is give women quality health insurance with robust family planning. and a full range of health care services. doug guttmacher institute, in a 2010 study showed teen pregnancy

in this country was at the lowest rate in over 30 years. do you know why? two reasons. number one, birth control for teenagers. number two, comprehensive health insurance. so, this congress, which has passed over and over again restrictions on birth control access, not just 14's, but for all women, and restrictions on family planning, is actually passing legislation that is going to decrease the decrease in unwanted teen pregnancies. it is a wrongheaded policy. if we wanted to stop on wanted pregnancies, the way to do it is to have comprehensive health insurance for all american women. the majority, at the last minute, posed a bill with the egregious revisions on rape that

would have required rape victims to go to the police before they could raise the exception. do not make any mistake about it. this bill is just as egregious as that built. the region -- the reason it is is because, in an unprecedented move, it stops american women and their families from being able to get comprehensive health insurance with their own money. what would happen is it would open up a significant divide between the coverage that large employers would give to families and small employers and individuals. now, the other thing this does is it reopens the debate and compromise we had in the affordable care act. the compromise we made in that bill was that there would be no public funding for abortion under the affordable care act.

it was negotiated, it was agreed upon, and as the other side admitted, the president issued an executive order saying he would enforce the current law. in fact, that is what happened. the act required two separate premium payments for women and their families who receive premium tax credits and choose coverage that includes abortion services. the act is clear in its language. no portion of premium tax credits may be used to pay for the portion of comprehensive health coverage that is purchased in the marketplaces that relates to abortion services. the compromise was agreed upon by pro-life groups like the catholic health association and everybody else. now, this compromise is being thrown out the window. our opponents say there was a gao report that said insurance

companies were not segregating funds. so they say that means somehow federal dollars are being used to pay for abortion. after that gao study came out, madam speaker the dhhs propagated a new rule clarifying the agreement under the affordable care act that the funds had to be segregated. they propagated this rule on november 26. i would ask unanimous consent to insert that into the record. >> without objection. >> so this compromises being honored by the administration. in this debate, i asked my opponents to give me one example where federal dollars have paid for abortion. i have not heard that example. it is because it is not happening. this is a false issue being raised. i would submit to everybody here

, let's stop talking about this false issue just because there are a whole bunch of people in town who want us to pass legislation. let's talk about real issues. we just received a statement of administration policy from the white house. not surprisingly, the administration has said that the president would veto this bill. the bill is likely dead on arrival in the senate. even if it did pass, it would be vetoed. i have a suggestion for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. let's take up some issues that the women and families of america carried -- care about. let's take the issue of giving women good jobs with comprehensive health insurance so they can make their own decisions, along with their family and their doctor. let's talk about legislation that will allow women of america to get jobs that have equal pay for equal work. let's talk about a bill that

will give tax credits for families who have to struggle every month to pay for child care for their little kids. but talk about that. and finally, let's talk about parental leave, which virtually every other country in the world has. so that, when families have loving children who they want to take care of, they will not have to go back to work because their employer does not pay them for family leave. let's talk about that. madam speaker, that is what the women and families of america want us to talk about. i urge us to reject this legislation. i urge a no vote. >> the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania has 2.5 minutes remaining. >> thank you madam speaker. again, on the so-called compromise. i offer the language in the committee.

we won in a bipartisan vote. we brought it to the floor without hyde. i wrote the amendment. i know it to cover my zits. i yield the balance of my time. >> mr. kelly is recognized for two minutes. >> make no mistake about what this debate is about. h.r. 7 is about taking no taxpayer money for abortions. but the real debate on the floor is about life. we are talking about life in the people's house. on the floor of the people's house. we are talking about a gift from god.

we are talking about something that was so well put into our declaration of independence. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. the first being life. i understand there is a serious debate and people say, we are not ready for this child. but expectant mothers and unborn children have to be protected. in a nation that recoils at the news around the world, this is horrible what is happening. this is horrible. what is happening in the mideast. and we want to rush to help evil because there is a loss of life. in our own country, we have turned a blind eye to the loss of 56 million unborn children. these are lies that were lost that do not have to be lost. i know there is a law that says they have the right to make that decision. it may be legal, but i do not

think it is right. as far as giving a gift to a half a million or so people in america today in the pro-life march, this is a gift from our creator himself. how we have demeaned this and reduce it down to political discussion is a torrent -- ab horrent. never has this country turned its back on the most vulnerable. i have been there for my four children. i have 10 grandchildren. i have held the hands of my mother, my father, and my sister as they died. there is nothing more precious than life. there is nothing more precious. i asked my colleagues to vote in favor of h.r. 7. answer the american people who say they do not want to fund

abortion. let's move forward. >> the gentleman's time has expired. all time for debate has expired. pursuant to resolution 42, the previous question is ordered on the bill. the question is on engross meant and reading of the bill. those in favor say aye. the ayes have it. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> i have a motion to recommit evidence. >> is the gentlewoman opposed to the bill? >> yes ma'am, in its current form. at the end of the bill, the following -- reform the table of

contents accordingly. >> for what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee's week recognition? >> i reserve a point of order against the resolution. >> point of order has been reserved. clerk will read. >> section 301, protecting the medical privacy of women including victims of rape and incensed. nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize any party to violate directly or indirectly the medical province he of any woman, including victims of rape or incessant with respect to her choice or use of comprehensive health insurance coverage. >> pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from wisconsin is recognized or five minutes in support of her motion. the gentlewoman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. this is the final amendment to the bill. it will not kill the bill.

nor send it back to committee. if this amendment is adopted, it will immediately proceed to final passage if the bill were amended. as the clerk as indicated, this motion to recommit would merely protect the medical privacy of millions of women including those women who are victims of rape and interest. it would ensure that nothing in h.r. 7 could be construed to allow any entity to violate the medical legislation, could be construed to allow any entity to violate the medical privacy of any one including these victims, when it comes to her choice of comprehensive health care services. madam speaker, we have heard a great debate here today, and we have heard madam speaker, the

majority party insist that we need to codify the 1976 hyde amendment prohibiting poor women from having abortions. i can assure you that as we have looked over the past 42 years here on the anniversary of roe v. wade, we have seen that low income women particular lyly women of color, have been disproportionately been impacted by the very successful implementation of the hyde amendment. women have been forced to choose between food and shelter. they have been forced to choose between the best interest of their health, and they have given birth in many occasions,

even despite their poor health status, their poor economic status, their poor emotional status to children who are poor. we have heard these data and statistics about the numbers of unborn persons as a result of abortion. we have not heard one single statistic about the numbers of children who are born in dire poverty. only madam chair, to be humiliated in this chamber over and over again being called products of the culture of dependency and killed by cuts death by a thousand cuts cuts to food stamps, cuts to wic, cuts to head start cuts to educational opportunities, death by a thousand cuts.

we have not heard any on the other side speak about that misalignment. but what this legislation does, it's not enough to have stopped low-income women, poor women, particularly women of color, african-americans, asians, native american women, latinas. it's not enough to prevent them from abortions, some of them who have been -- have become pregnant because of rape and incest and forced trafficking, who have diabetes and other underlying health problems, that's not enough. this legislation is so nefarious as to try to prevent women who have been lucky enough to get a job in a small business, lucky enough to be able to afford to buy insurance and use their own money to buy insurance.

they have been lucky enough to do that to prevent them by some extraneous nexus of supposedly health care-funded payments through the affordable care act to seek this health care. this is really, really a back-door approach to really try and undermine the law of the land roe v. wade. many women, madam speaker know on a personal level the history of shame and stigma that comes forward when they are trying to seek the best remedy for their life at that time. for whatever reason that they need to have an abortion. i know personally madam speaker, of young women who have been 13 years old and who have are become victims of statutory

rape, and the solution for them lies at that time for their health is an abortion, that their life is truly in danger, and that this is the kind of bill that would prevent them from having that opportunity. madam speaker, i would hope that you would accept this motion and recommit, and i yield back my time. >> the gentlewoman's time has expired. what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee seek recognition? >> thank you. i withdraw my order and claim the time. >> the gentlewoman's time is withdrawn and recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, madam speaker. we have heard a lot of charges and accusations that are made by some of my colleagues as they have chosen to describe the bill before us today, hr 7. so i want to be clear about what the bill before us does do and does accomplish.

this bill follows the long-standing principle, as my colleague said, going back to 1976. that principle that the american people and members from both sides of the islander aisle, in both chambers of congress have done for decades, and that is that taxpayer dollars should not be spent on abortions and abortion coverage. the vast majority of my colleagues voted for this exact same principle in countless appropriations bills including a bill that we passed out of this chamber last month, yet some are sharing the belief that taxpayer dollars should not be used to take an innocent life. the bill before us today also provides much needed transparency regarding which health plans on the exchange pay for abortions.

the obama administration promised to provide congress and the american people a list of plans and obama care that covered abortion yet? they refused to live up to that promise, they forced congress to act and, indeed, the g.a.o. has informed us 1036 plans include abortion coverage. there is no excuse, no excuse. to hide information about abortion coverage from the american people. 68%, a vast majority of the american people, believe there should be no taxpayer money used for abortion and abortion coverage. h.h.s. has forced congress to act on this people. the common sense transparency requirement that is in h.r. 7 is needed, and it is supported by all members, so that's what this bill is about, following an

established bipartisan principle and providing transparency. i urge my colleagues, each and every one, to vote to protect life, to vote to protect taxpayer dollars and to promote transparency by rejecting the motion to recommit and supporting the underlying bill. i yield back my time and urge a no vote on the recommitle. >> the house went along to vote party lines 242-179 to bar federal funds for abortion. white house said it would veto legislation if it passes in senate. coming up in today's march for life rally in d.c., on the anniversary of the supreme court's roe v. wade decision. leaders from around the world in politics, philanthropy and business, are meeting in davos

switzerland for the world economic form. francois hollande will talk about the present terror attacks in paris. we'll have coverage live on c-span, and secretary john kerry addressing the forum. secretary kerry met with british prime ministers in london. we'll hear his remarks at 10:40 eastern. next, the annual march for life rally on the 42nd anniversary of the supreme court roe v. wade. speakers included the u.s. head of council bishops house g.o.p. chair, kathy mcmorris rogers.

>> thank you. good afternoon and thank you, marie miller for your wonderful performance this morning. and for your stirring rendition of the national anthem. my name is patrick kelly, and i am honored to serve as the chairman of the board for the march for life. on behalf of the board and the whole march for life team, i would like to welcome you to the largest and most important civil rights demonstration in the world. [cheering and applause] >> the theme of this year's march is clear, simple and beautiful. every life is a gift. we are here because we believe that every life is a gift, a gift to be cherished and protected. before we begin, let us join together in the pledge of

allegiance, led this year, by daniel tillson from the knights of columbus counsel at george mason university. [cheering] >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> thank you daniel. in thanksgiving for the great collaborative witness of the roman catholic and orthodox bishops offering our opening prayer each year, i would like to welcome to the podium the most reverend joseph kirtz, the roman catholic arch bishop of louisville [cheering and

applause] applause]. he also served as the president of the united states congress of catholic bishops. arch bishop kirtz will be joined on stage together with his brother, roman catholic bishops, as well as the greek orthodox diocese of america, the orthodox church of american, the christian arch diocese of north america and the serbient orthodox church of north and south america. your excellencies. >> good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for standing up for life. my dear friends, it is my humble privilege to open this march for life rally in prayer with the great assistance of my orthodox

brother bishops and my catholic brother bishops as a sign of our unity in an effort to uphold the dignity of every human life, the orthodox, and catholic bishops take turns each year leading this joint opening prayer, and so i ask you to join me as i say, let us pray. heavenly father, we stand before you this day and ask your blessings on this national march for life. we thank you for each and every pilgrim who has made the trip to our nation's capitol, help us to be joyful witnesses to the gospel of life, not just today, but at every moment of our lives. guide us to be loving and welcoming, even to those who might ardently disagree with us in particular, father, help us

to be compassionate to anyone suffering from the loss of a child through abortion. may we be a bridge that connects them to hope and healing that can be found in you alone direct all of our thoughts, our words and actions this day to be effective in defending the lives of unborn children. help us to be missionaries of peace. the lord bless you and keep you. the lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. the lord look upon you kindly and give you peace, amen. >> thank you arch bishop kirtz.

when i look out in the enormous crowd, i see a tide turning in america. hundreds of thousands of you have come to washington to make a difference and to deliver a profound message, every life is a gift. the march for life is getting bigger and younger every year. history is on our side, because history is always on the side of those who fight for human dignity and human life. we are here because we know the truth. we know that every life is a gift, and we know this truth is not just a catholic thing or an evangelical thing or a jewish thing or a mormon thing. of course, it's all those things, but it's also a human

thing. [cheering and applause]. every human is a gift, and so we march. we march in what has become the largest human rights demonstration in the world. we march because we have the courage to think for ourselves and to face the truth about human life. we march because the little lives matter the lives of babies matter. vulnerable, imperfect lives matter. we march to be the voice of those who do not have a voice. we march because the march for life is their voice. their voice in washington and around the world. we march because every life is a gift.

our goal at the march for life is not only to come together once a year but to connect with you 365 days a year, and to work with you every day to build a culture of life. there are extraordinary things happening at the march for life, and all of this is taking place under the skillful guidance of one of the most dynamic, young, pro-life leaders in america. please join me in welcoming that leader, the president of the march for life, jeanne monahan mansini. >> good afternoon! what do you all think of this weather? it's impressive, huh? all right. well, i have to say, it is, as

always, such an honor to be here with all of you. it's an honor and joy, and some of you have traveled a lot farther than me this morning. i'm so grateful for so many of you who have come internationally, who have come from all over the country, who have really made a pilgrimage to the march for life. thank you. [cheering and applause] [cheering and applause]. you all know our theme this year. it's "every life is a gift." and i want to make two points about that. i want you to remember these points. the first one, this is a little sad, and stick with me, and we're going to talk about why we're here, right. in our country, in the united states of america, every single year, 1.1 million babies are lost to abortion. one out of every five babies is aborted in our country. it's a 19% abortion rate.

for babies that receive a difficult prenatal diagnosis, something like down's syndrome, an encephaly, spine abifidathat, rate goes up to 85%. so here's what i'm telling you, eight or nine out of 10 babies that have a serious disability are aborted in our country. and you know what? that's just wrong, isn't it. the truth of the matter is that every life is a gift. every life is a gift regardless of if we have a disability or not. and let's be honest. all of us have disabilities. some of us are a little more obvious than others, but no one's perfect. we're really missing out on an entire population of people so at the march of life, we want to

focus on the inherent beauty in every life. there's an irony, our country is celebrating a wonderful thing this year, it's called the americans with disability act, the a.d.a. it's the 25th anniversary of that signing. so there's this irony, that in this day and age when there are more resources to people available with disabilities in our country, it's less likely that those people will be actually carried to term. so i need y'all to do something about that, okay? [cheering and applause]. and let me talk to you about something you can do about that. this is the second point i want to make about that. back to our theme, every life is a gift. you know who else's life is a gift besides the life in the womb? your life is a gift. your life is a gift. every single one of you out there, all of you, and there are a lot of you, every single one of you is a gift to our world.

i know this is me and i'm speaking to a huge crowd but i want every single one of you know that i'm speaking to you personally right now. your life is unique. it is unrepeatable. there is a mission that you have that no one else can live in this world. you are part of a larger plan. there's a wonderful thing. it's one of my favorites, be who you are and you will set the world on fire. [cheering and applause]. i want you to be who you are. we need to set this culture ablaze for life, and lives depend on it, so i want you to look deep into your heart and reflect upon your call and then say yes. and there are two ways you can do this immediately and then i'm going to turn it over to our next speaker. one, social media is a huge part of getting the pro-life message out, right? how many of you like to use social media out there, yeah?

okay, so i have two asks for you. two things i'm asking for you to do. one, i need to you take pictures today. i need you to take pictures of the crowds and let the world know about the march for life. let them know about the dignity of the human person. let them know that the abortion is the human rights of today, and we're not going to take it any longer. take pictures of all of the people here, and then i want you to post on some social media with the hashtag # whywemarch. start a conversation. let people know why you march. that's the first thing. the second thing i want to you do is i don't want to you go home and forget about the march for life. we need to you march year-round. we need to you go home and build a culture of life in your community all year long. here's what i want you to do. at the march for life, we're going to give you tools to continue marching throughout the entire year. every month, we're going to send you a different message about something you can do to build a culture of life in your area

okay? so here's what i want you to do. you can do it right now or you can do it later. right now is good though. i want you to text give life to 99,000. so givelife to 99,000. and then you're going to be hearing from us throughout the year with different ideas to build a culture of life in your local community. the last thing i want to mention is a special tweet we got today. speaking of social media. anyone heard of pope francis out there? [cheering] >> so he apparently likes our theme. he tweeted out today, every life is a good, #marchforlife. [cheering and applause] >> take a minute to tweet the pope thanks for coming out today. we have an amazing speaker, so i'm going to move on here.

as always, we are honored to be joined at the march for life by several members of the united states congress who are fighting to enact pro-life laws and happy to be joined by pro-life leadership. representing that leadership today is congressman kathy mcmorris rogers, the chair. she represents the eastern part of washington state, and is the founder and cochair of the congressional down's syndrome caucus. i can't tell you how pleased we are to welcome to the stage congressman kathy mcmorris rogers. >> thank you for being here, from every corner of america to help us celebrate life today on the national mall. what a great day. i am excited to be here, i'm excited to join my colleagues, in committing to you that we are here to help lead the effort on capitol hill to ensure that every life is protected.

i'm proud to be a pro-life leader and a pro-life mom. [cheering and applause]. and later on today in the house of representatives, we will be passing the no taxpayer funding for abortion. we are going to hold -- [cheering and applause]. we are holding the federal government accountable to prevent your taxpayer dollars from funding abortion. [cheering and applause]. using taxpayer dollars to fund is an unthinkable act and is a violation of the public trust. let me be clear. as a pro-life advocate, our work is never done, and we remain committed as i stand here today, to passing the unborn child

protection act in the house of representatives. we remain committed to passing the health care conscience rights act in the house of representatives. the pain capitalable on unborn child protection act is so important because it shifts the debate of pro-life all across this country and makes it very clear, the pain an unborn child feels is very real and very wrong. some of you may know that brian and i have are a son cole, who's seven years old who was born with a 21st extra chromo chromosome chromosome. when we received that news, it wasn't what we expected. and we were told and given a long list of possible challenges, chances of heartache. and you know what, that extra

chromosome has brought my family a whole bunch of joy. [cheering and applause]. cole has recommitted my effort and reminded me the value of every human life and the connection every human life can make to this world and today i am more passionate because of cole in my life, and i am more committed to making sure that people in america understands and celebrate the fact that every child is, and every life is a gift. today, cole is seven years old, enjoys reading, peanut butter, basketball. if you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, he says he wants to be a firefighter or football player. go seahawks!

i am so inspired to be here with you, and so many young people, it's such an honor for me to speak. [cheering and applause]. the next generation of pro-life leaders right here. thank you for being here. keep taking a stand and sharing your story. keep sharing the powerful and compelling facts that every life is a gift. together, we will accomplish great things. we will carry the torch forward and make sure that everyone in america recognizes the gift that every life brings. thank you very much. >> thank you for sharing your inspiration with us. i have one thing, there is a six-year-old boy who is lost behind the stage. if you're looking for your

little six-year-old, please come back here. joining us this morning from the united states senate is another great pro-life leader, senator tim scott has served the people of south carolina in the senate since 2013. and represented south carolina's first congressional district prior to that. please welcome to the stage senator tim scott of south carolina. [cheering and applause] >> thank you. we will stand shoulder to shoulder with the house as you move forward to protect legislation life. [cheering and applause] i remember way back when i made jesus christ the lord of my life --

[cheering and applause] y'all gon make me drink up here. i said, all right, all right, all right! let me just say, accepting jesus christ as your personal lord and saviour helped me understand the importance of life, and i will tell you that being a protector of life is not simply an elected official's responsibility. i believe it is the responsibility of every single american in our country. [cheering and applause] and we will win the battle for life from coast-to-coast. we march always for life. i'll tell you a very quick story, and i know i'm a politician. my momma wented -- wanted me to be a preacher so this may not be

as quick as some would like. as a small business owner, i have several employees and one of my employees several years ago had an unplanned pregnancy, and i had been involved in crisis pregnancy centers in south carolina the past 20 years so i did what i thought was the right thing to do. i took her to a crisis pregnancy center, and because of the love the affection the counseling that happened on that day, she gave birth to her little one. [cheering and applause] and i will tell you, in her words, not mind, she said --she thought choice should have been her option. the more she prayed, the more she listened, the more the counselor spoke, the more she understood that her only choice was a choice for life and she is so happy she made the only

choice. we stand here shoulder-to-shoulder because you are our backbone because we pray together. our nation will rise to the occasion and continue to be a force for good, a force for life. [cheering and applause] >> thank you senator. i am now very happy to introduce congressman chrisman of new jersey. he's part of the pro-life caucus. congressman smith has been the chair of it for three decades and a pro-life leader. please welcome -- please join

me in welcoming congressman smith. >> thank you for coming together to witness the value and the dignity of every human life because every human life is a god-given gift. on behalf of my wife maureen and i, i want to say how grateful we are for the lawmakers. i've been in congress 35 years, we have never had more pro-life, more effective lawmakers than we have today and a leadership that is second-to-none. [cheering and applause] i'll be brief. you and i are here today because we have a compelling duty to protect the weakest and the most vulnerable from the violence of abortions. you are part of the most important human rights cause on earth. you and i are working, praying even fasting for the day when every life is cherished as a gift. every life loved, despite one's disability, race, sex, color, religion, dependency or condition of dependency, and

every life welcomed, no matter the inconvenience. a prenatal diagnosis of disability should mean empathy, love, concerns for the child, so wonderfully exhibited by cathy mcmorris rodgers for her son, not a death sentence. [cheering and applause] and i have to tell you maureen and i have been in the pro life movement for a combined 82 years, got involved in 1972. it is encouraging to see many young people. tom talked about the greatest generation, certainly the world war ii era was the greatest. you, the millenials, are the next greatest generation. thank you for your witness. right now, you know, we're all getting back to vote. h.r. 7 and no taxpayer funding

for abortion act cosponsored by every one of us here, will get a vote in an hour or so. that legislation is historic. it would end our forced complicity, our funding of abortion. president obama in september of '09 came to congress and said, under our plan, no federal funds will be used to pay for ark abortion. he put out an executive order saying he would comport with the hyde amendment. those promises have turned out to be untrue, a lie, and now we have a situation where over 1,000 obama care plans on the exchange are paying for abortion on demand. this legislation, and i know the senate, will do its best to pass it. we will not quit until we take abortion out of obama care and make the hyde amendment proud. [cheering and applause] finally, cathy mcmorris rodgers,

our conference chair, said a moment ago the legislation will be on the floor. we know that children at 20 weeks gestation suffer horrific pain. dismemberment abortions cause agony beyond our wildest belief. this legislation will at least protect those children from the 20th week on and our leadership is true, they are faithful, and they will bring that legislation to the floor, and we will pass it. thank you, and god bless you. [cheering and applause] >> thank you, congressman. now i'm honored to welcome the other cochairman of the pro-life caucus dan lapinski from illinois. please join me in welcoming

congressman dan lipinski. >> thank you. i'm from chicago, i'm democrat, and i'm pro-life. [cheering and applause] we all need to come together across parties, across faiths, those with no faith, across the country, across races, ethnicities. we all need to come together to protect life because the babies need the protection, and because women deserve better than abortion. ion you all are here serving as special roles as witnesses to washington, to the country, and to the world, to show the force of the pro-life movement.

we hear so much about how the young kids, well, they're not pro-life. well, you are here, you're the proof. you are the ones who are going to change the heart and minds and help us to change the laws of this country to protect life. you are the pro-life generation. [cheering and applause] you are going to help us do it, and we can only do it together. so thank you for being here. keep on working, keep on fighting. keep on praying, and we will change the laws of this nation change it to protect life in this nation and around the world. thank you. [cheering and applause] >> thank you, congressman. after you complete the march today, i'm sure that you -- it would be -- we'd very much appreciate it if you go to your member of congress's office and

tell him or her that you represent many pro-life people back in their home district. this afternoon, we are honored to be joined by a number of pro-life members of congress on stage. i'll just take a brief amendment to recognize them. senator jim damenity is with us, senator jim langford of oklahoma. brian bat of texas. andy harris of maryland, tim fuelscamp of kansas. congressman bill isinga of michigan, pete olsen of texas, representative steve pierce of

new mexico representative robert pittinger of north carolina. representative thomas rooney of florida. representative dan benecek of michigan. representative bill flores of texas. congressman tom reed of north. keith hosfasof ohio. house majority, steve scleis of louisiana. representative marlin stitsman of indiana. representative daniel webster of florida. congressman brad winstrop of ohio. congressman bruce westerman of arkansas. congressman tim walberg of michigan. representative jackie wolorski of indiana.

>> okay. just a little reminder, we've got lots of media here, so if you can keep the banners and signs down a little bit so the cameras can take some pictures too, that would be great. and judging by your signs and banners, i have a feeling that many of you might actually know our next speaker. elected supreme knight of the knights of columbus, and maker of many of the signs we have here, in addition to many other wonderful things, carl anderson has led the world's largest catholic family organization to new heights, in charitable giving and pro-life advocacy. please welcome to the stage a true pro-life leader supreme

knight carl anderson. >> jeanne, thank you very much. pro life america is here and thank god so many of pro-life americans are in the congress this year. [cheering and applause] thank you so much for your witness and for standing firm for life. this year, we face some new threats, right? doctor-assisted suicide, to legalize it in so many states, but we will stand up for those at the end of life just as we do for those at the beginning of life. [cheering and applause] we must build it for all those who are vulnerable or who suffer. their life is a gift. today, we celebrate the gift of every life. more than 40 years after roe v. wade, america is becoming pro-life. [cheering and applause]

the pro-life culture is growing stronger in america. our knights of columbus meris poll, this year shows that more and more americans are coming to our side. 84% of americans want significant restrictions on abortion. [cheering and applause] 84% of americans say our laws that can protect both the life of the mother and the life of her unborn child. 2/3 of americans say the nation's abortion rate is too high, and a majority of americans believe abortion is immoral. [cheering and applause] so why is america becoming more pro-life? because of your stance in defense of life. [cheering and applause]

because no amount of propaganda can change or cover up the pain in women who regret their abortions feel every day, and because women who know the truth choose life. women have a right to the truth. and that's why over the past five years, the knights of columbus has been putting in over 500 ultrasound machines in crisis pregnancy counseling centers. [cheering and applause] we know that almost every mother who sees her child in an ultrasound chooses life, and we know something else. the number of our machines is 500. the number of these children

these machines change is over 50,000 a year. the cost of the machine is $30,000. so the cost to save each one of these lives is only $300. and the value of each of these lives, you and i know, each life is priceless. [cheering and applause] so thank you god bless you, god bless our children and god bless america. [cheering] >> thank you, carl anderson. in 2007, kathleen wilson and two friends -- cheering] okay.

for some of you, kathleen needs no introduction. for those of you who haven't had a chance, let me tell you, she and two friends started a maternity home in their home town of frederiksburg, virginia. [cheering and applause] in the past eight years, kathleen and her team have transformed their ministry from one small house to four houses in the greater fredrixburg area. please join me in welcoming to the stage a true pro-life inspiration, kathleen. >> thank you, thank you. mary's shelter our home for women in a crisis during pregnancy in frederiksburg, virginia. since opening our doors in 2007. >> speak a little more into the mike. >> sorry. we are honored to represent the approximately 400 maternity

homes here in the united states. we exist to help women in desperate need, women who have lost hope, have low self-esteem, and don't believe that their life could ever be a gift to anyone. many of these women come to us because they've been put out by their families or boyfriends who want them to abort. they're told that they can't do this, they shouldn't have another child, and they'll never be able to give them what they need. they are strongly discouraged from raising a baby, and the last thing in the world on their mind is that the life in the womb is a gift with a god-given mission. one of our residents, angela, is a young, quiet and uneducated young lady. she became a victim of a horrific crime that left her pregnant. with no family support or place to live, and the few friends she had pressuring her to abort, she came to mary's shelter where we loved and helped her through her

pregnancy. today, she has a baby girl, and that child has brought her absolute joy. she's working and plans on continuing her education, and she asks if not for mary's shelter, what would i have done? that child's life is a gift and part of god's creation and plan. against all odds, women like angela have chosen life, and we are honored to be standing there with them. so many of the moms, after giving birth have cried, they feel so much pain of what might have been and knowing that the people they love and trust didn't want their baby to be born, they know their child's life is a blessing. the need for shelter for women in crisis during a pregnancy continues to grow. at mary's shelter, we work at assisting maternity homes all over the country to open successfully. i encourage you or others in your community, if you're

interested in helping women but not sure how to start or what to do to call us, we can help. your life is a gift too. please always continue to be witnesses to the gift of life. thank you, god bless. [cheering and applause] >> thank you, kathleen. our little boy who was lost is now found. we all know that ultrasound technology is a game-changer. the moment when a young couple first sees the ultrasound image of their new baby is truly an awesome moment. our next speaker is a radiologist who shares this very special moment with mothers and fathers every day. please welcome dr. gracie christy. [cheering and applause] >> hello.

as you just heard, i'm a radiologist, and i get to be there for that awesome moment when a mother and father see their baby for the very first time. ultrasound has opened a window into the mystery of life before birth when we are small, but very human and very alive. the humanity of the unborn child, which is a medical and scientific reality, is now playing for everyone to see. but ultrasound has a dark side. it has given us the ability to selectively abort children who have an undesirable trait and defects, no matter how small, has become a reason to simply abort and try again. sadly, in my own practice, i have seen parents seek an abortion for something as minor as a cleft palate.

this is the world we are now living in. children are choices, commodities, and those that are deemed effect iveive are being eradicated before birth. when i examine a baby in utero and i detect down's syndrome, my heart breaks, because nine times out of 10, this is a death sentence. the mother and father will never know the life that god prepared for them when he created their son or their daughter. instead, the life of a baby that is typically well over 20 weeks old will end in violence and pain. i have seen very young premature babies in the i.c.u., and no doctor would think of performing a procedure on these babies without administering anesthesia. yet, our laws allow the destruction of children inside their mother who are the very

same age for no reason at all. these children that are rejected and aborted they are as perfect as any one of us gathered here today. [cheering and applause] they have hearts made for joy, a soul to cherish, and the humble right to simply exist. let us resolve today, here and now, to teach the world to acknowledge the humanity of every child, to welcome all god's children into this beautiful challenge we call life. and if i may say to the pro-life people out here. [speaking spanish] thank you.

>> hello, pro-life america. my name is tim sosa and proud to serve on the board for the march for life. i'm also proud today to be able to recognize our student contest winners. this year, our contest was called, every selfie has a story, and we asked everyone to send us a selfie with an essay, talking about their pro-life experience and their pro-life volunteerism. the entries from this year's contest were all fantastic, and i'm happy to be joined on the stage by this year's winners who are true pro-life leaders for their generation. our middle school winner, madeline romberg from dubuq, iowa, and our high school winner allison burt from bloomington, indiana. if you want to see their winning

entries, visit the march for life website at marchforlife.org or friend us on facebook follow us on twitter or instagram, and make sure that you're tweeting today as well using the hashtag #whywemarch. welcome back to the podium our president, jeanne monahan mancini. >> thank you. for our next speaker, i'm so excited to introduce you to her. she is one of you. when we heard that shorthandley high school. [cheering and applause] when i heard that shandley high school in fargo, north dakota, would close down school and travel approximate bring their entire student body on more than a 1300-mile journey to the march for life, we knew we had found

the school to carry the iconic march for life banner. here to offer a few words on our pro-life experience, please welcome stanley high school student, julia johnson. [cheering and applause] >> thank you. as was mentioned, my name is julia johnson, and i am a senior at shanley high school in fargo north dakota. and as a school, we are humbled and honored to have been selected to carry the lead banner in this year's march for life. to the youth of america, it is our responsibility to end the scourge of abortion. [cheering and applause] at stanhanly high school, we are doing just that.

we have had a pro-life group for many years. we have decided to bring our entire high school this year. including students and teachers we crammed over 800 students into four busses. we have traveled to d.c. to be a witness to life in our nation's capitol. we are the pro-life generation! [cheering and applause] to my fellow youth, our cause in defending life is a noble one. it is noble because we are living in a modern day holocaust, a holocaust that on average takes the lives of more than 3,000 babies each day, which amounts to over 1 million babies a year. the silent horror of abortion has imbedded itself into society and has targeted the most vulnerable and precious of us all. but we will not remain idle.

we cannot. it is our job to protect our brothers and sisters in the womb, and their right to life. [cheering and applause] it is our obligation to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. for one's value is not determined by size or by age. as i look out, i see hundreds of thousands of people who are willing to stand up for what is right and true and virtuous. our generation has stared through the smoke of lie and deceit, and we have seen the truth. we know that human life is present in the womb, and we are willing to fight for it. [cheering and applause] we refuse to stand by and watch the lives of innocent children be discarded as nothing more than medical waste. this is why we march.

we march to stop an injustice that has taken a lives of a third of our generation. this pro-life revolution was not born out of hate for our neighbors, but out of love. [cheering and applause] and as we walk today i look forward to experiencing the joy that comes from being part of an event that is bigger than ourselves. i am privileged to march with each and every one of you. for together, we will achieve victory for mothers and their babies, for our country, and for our god. god bless. [cheering and applause] wow. thank you, julia. and it's a very very critical part for pro-life work, women who regret being involved with an abortion. for more than a decade, silent no more awareness campaign has brought messages of hope and

healing to hundreds of women in these situations. i am most grateful for our following speaker and for her courage that she would be here with us to share her story, the chicago regional director of silent no more nancy cruiser. >> hello, my name is nancy cruiser, and i am -- >> louder. >> my name is nancy cruiser and i am a regional coordinator with the silent no more awareness campaign, a project of priests for life and anglicans for life. we have been impacted by abortion and seek to heal the shock waves felt by everyone involved. when i was 5.5 months pregnant, i was told by my doctor that my

baby had water on the brain, and my doctor advised an abortion. i was in my second trimester, and it was a two-day afraid alone and devastated. i cried, but no one acknowledged my pain. i left the clinic with nobody to bury. no grave, no funeral. i vomited in the parking lot and rode home in silence. no one brought meals, sent cards, no one called because i had been too ashamed to tell anyone what i had done. i tried to bury the memory of my abortion and i didn't recognize its scars. i thought i was fine. but i was fearful and would

awaken from repeated nightmares of running from something so horrible. after 15 years of living like that i gave my heart to christ and he healed me from the pain of my abortion. [applause] i didn't feel alone anymore. god's loving forgiveness has transformed me. i named my daughter melanie. i have her ultrasound picture on my dresser with the pictures of my other children. today, when you march by the supreme court, stop and hear more silent no more testimonies and visit silent no more.com.

every child is a gift. i deeply regret my abortion and that is why i am silent no more. thank you. [applause] >> thank you nancy, for that moving testimony. next, i am very happy to introduce the president of students for life of america. kristin hawkins' time as a pro life advocate began in high school and continued in college. kristin has the opportunity to share her zeal for pro life leadership with more than 800 college and high school pro life organizations across the united states. please join me in welcoming kristin hawkins. [applause]

>> you know, i'll never forget the day that my son's doctor called and he told my my son had tested positive for cysticify bro sis. a genetic and incurable disease. everything had been changed. it was a moment that every parent begs god that they will never have to face. the past six years, my life has been dramatically changed by gunter's entry into this world. thnks that i thought were important are no longer. my husband and i have had to sacrifice a comfortable life just to afford medications. we've had to move halfway across the country away from our family and friends to be near gunter's care team. we have both personally had to transform our career goals, but

you know it is all worth it because gunter has had so much joy and so much light to my family. he is smart and inquisitive earned the hearted big brother. every day i am reminded that his time and my time with him is precious. today i speak to you pregnant with my fourth child. my first daughter. [applause] my first baby girl gracie. i pray she is not born with this same genetic disease. but i know if she is, she will have a big brother who'll be there for her, to answer her questions and help her with her treatments and she will have a family that loves her unconditionally. caring for and raising a child with special needs is not easy. and i have personally felt the

push in our culture to create perfect babies. what may be more perfect through therapeutic abortion and every deinstructive i.v.f. technique. i'm here to implore you as leaders of the pro life movement to talk about this issue in your churches and parishes all over. go to facebook, go to twitter. post pictures of children who have been born with genetic disabilities. go to your statehouse and lobby and help those families in need. having gunter has affirmed my calling. i wonder if i hadn't lived by my pro life beliefs in high school and college, would i have been convinced to abort him? would i have thought that was the humane way to go? that's why i work that is why our work

with the pro life association is so important because i know every child that is born is precious and is a gift. men and women, i come to you today with hope in my heart that we will abolish abortion in this lifetime. [applause] my question for you this. do you believe it? do you truly believe that? [applause] i believe in a mighty and awesome good. the maker of all things. do you believe? [applause] if so, it is time to act like it. for we are the pro life generation! [applause]

>> ok. is everybody ready? as we come toward the end of our rally, i'm just going to say one thing. have you texted the word give life. good. ok. as we come close to the end of our rally we want to take a few momentses to recognize the many, many many and wonderful pro life organizations that we work alongside throughout the year. we all take different approaches and have different constituents but we all share the conviction that every life is a gift. i'm just going to read through. this is quite a long list. stay with me. first of all, 40 days for life. ok. we have a really long list here.

alliance defending freedom. american life league. americans united for life. care net. the center for ethics and culture. the center for bioethics and human dignity. christian medical and dental association. concerned women of america. crossroads for life. eagle forum. and then there were none. family research council. family research council action. generation joshua. heartbeat international. heritage foundation. legal defense fund. human life international. justice house of prayer. knights of columbus.

let freedom ring. manhattan declaration. republican national committee. patriots voices. national black pro life union. national family and pro life institute. national religious broadcasters. online for life. operation rescue. priests for life. radiance foundation. ethics and religious liberty commission. silent no more. stand true ministries. students for life of america. tradition family property. reconciliation community church and last but not least, the united states catholic conference of bishops. [applause] thank you for all of your very

hard work, folks. thank you very, very much. ok. now we can go. >> thank you very much, pro life organizations. and the president of the national hispanic christian leadership conference, our next speaker oversees the largest christian hispanic organization. he is an award-winning author. a loving husband. a proud father of three. please welcome to the stage to share with us his story and then to lead us in our closing

prayer. reverend samuel rodriguez. [applause] >> we gather today not as blacks whites, yellow or brown. we gather today as children of the living god. we gather today with a commitment to reconcile righteousness with justice. sanctuaryification with truth and love. we gather today with biblical conviction and courage to speak to the spiritual forces that exacerbate the death of innocence in the womb. we gather today to speak to the spirit of and to declare the following. we declare the following. for every -- there will be a

moses. for every goliath there'll be a david. there will be a daniel. there will be an elijah. for every herod there will be a jesus. and for every -- that rises up against us there is a mightier god that rises up for us. the right to life stems not from the executive branch, judicial or the legislative branch. the right to life does not stem from a political party or apparatus. it does not come from the donkey or the elephant. the right to life comes from the land that is on the -- man that

is on the throne. his name is jesus. remind our nation and our fellow citizens that uncle sam may be our uncle, but he will never be our heavenly father. [applause] let's pray. heavenly father. we pray that this generation will recognize the image of god in every human being. we pray the followers of christ will no longer hide -- as mighty heroes of righteousness and justice. we pray that the children of the cross realize that today's

complacency is tomorrow's captivity. that moral stagnation leads to spiritual atrophy and that there is no such thing as comfortable christianity. we pray that children will not be aborted. that marriages will thrive and religious liberty will prevail for generations to come. we pray that truth will never be sacrificed on the alter of expediencey, that love will overcome hate and that the prophetic will sthrens pathetic. we pray that the strength of the father, the grace of the son and the anointing of god's spirit to equip us in order to advance your agenda and protect the innocent and unborn i will all while we do justice, have mercy

and we pray all of this in the holy righteous triumphant victorious name that jesus christ, our lord and savior. amen. [applause] >> thank you. ok everyone. we're about ready to start marching here with just a couple of favors. first, if you have any trash, there is a dumpster in the trash area on the way to where you're going to start marching. so please dump it in there. if you see any on the ground, also please pick it up. also our knights of columbus from virginia will be collecting donations along constitution avenue. please be generous. however, before we begin our march, i would ask dwroverp welcome back marie miller, back

to the stage to close the rally by singing "god bless america." marie miller. >> ♪ god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night from the light from above from the mountain s to the prairies to the oceans white with foam god bless america

my home sweet home god bless america my home sweet home [applause] thank you. >> ladies and gentlemen,

[inaudible] if you see any, they are right over here by the gate.

>> house minority leader nancy pelosi was critical of john boehner's decision to invite benjamin netanyahu to address a session of congress.

her press conference next on c-span and then the e.p.a.'s move to regulate coal ash and then later house abortion funding. >> on the next "washington journal" former ambassador to morocco, marc ginsberg talks about the terrorist attacks in paris. after that, author edward clinebard, author of "we are better than this." all on "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> andrew keen, author of "the internet is not the answer" on how the public is being used by internet companies for their own profit. >> people went to work in factries.

they were paid for their labor. they worked 9:00 to 5:00 and went home and did what they want with their money. today we're all working in these factories like google and facebook and we're not paid. we're not rewarded. it is not acknowledged that we're creating the value for them. worse than that, we are the ones who are being packaged up as the product, because of course what they see companies are doing is learning more and more about us from our behavior, from what he publish, from our photographs, from our ideas, from what we buy, from what we say. from what we don't say. they are learning about us. they are transforming us, they are repackaging us as the product. so we are the ones being sold. not only are we working for free, but then we're being sold so it is the ultimate scam. the perfect hitchcock movie.

>> sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific on c-span's q & a. >> house minority leader nancy pelosi said she disagrees with john boehner's decision to invite benjamin netanyahu to address the house. >> good morning. thank you for come early as we gather. votes are beginning on the floor. so let's get right down to it. we're very proud of president barack obama's state of the union address. he put forth an agenda for middle income economics, middle class economics in sharp contrast to the trickle down economics that republicans had been advocating. he put forth the agenda of

bigger paychecks, better infrastructure, which is something that the american people have told us they want and that was reflected in the opening day statement here for the house democrats. he put forth an agenda when women succeed, america succeeds about equal pay for equal work raising the minimum wage, about paid sick leave and family medical leave and also about a very strong statement on child care affordable, quality child care. these are transformational in terms of the power of families, not only when you put families in the workplace. we were very proud of the president's statement and again, a blueprint for success for america's working families. again, in sharp contrast to the trickle down tax cuts to the rich, let trickle down, if jobs are created, so be it. not a way to increase the paycheck.

you have heard the expression, it is the economy, stupid, it is the paycheck, genius. this is really what it comes down to. we need more purchasing power for america's middle class. the middle class is the job creation machine of our country. to the extent that they have disposable income to consume as a consumer in our economy, the better off our economy will be. that is what has stood in the way of a full recovery from a near depression, deep recession that the republicans took us to this 2008 and the same policies they want to put forth now. they are not even trying. instead of putting forth some illusion of a jobs initiative today on the floor of the house, in contrast to talking about job creation and a bigger paycheck they are putting a bill on the floor that undermines the health

of america's women. the bill is worse than the bill that pulled from the floor yesterday. that affected thousands of women maybe. this affects millions of women. it not only affects their health it affects their personal decision on how they spend their own money for health insurance. that's what we'll be voting on now. it is hard to imagine with all that is going on and all the talk about middle class and bigger paychecks, that's what the american people want us to address, that they go down this path. they didn't even have their act together. they had to pull their bill last night and come back with an even worse bill. at the same time, as you know in december, they refused to put forth a border security bill funding for a border security bill for a year. they said they would do it in january. in january, paris occurred. the whole world was galvanized

around the point of homeland security and each person's country. it seemed like the house chamber was a hermetically sealed chamber. that was oblivious to everything that was going on in the world in terms of protecting people from terrorism. once again they came forth with a bill that was ridiculous in terms of -- and irresponsible in terms of meeting a bill that could pass and get signed that really did the job for funding homeland security. and next week, they will even make matters worse with a authorization bill, a border bill. they had a bipartisan bill that passed overwhelmingly, unanimously out of committee. we hoped it would come to the floor. now they have taken another path on a bill that again cannot become law. it is hard to understand why they don't understand the priority that safety is. we take an oath to support and

defend and that protection of the american people is our first responsibility. so whether it is their economic security or homeland security, the republicans have been delinquent in all this. but on the positive side, we're very thrilled with what the president put forth with great confidence to grow our economy in a way that had prosperity and an economy that worked for everyone, not just the few and forward thinking bold and in areas that by and large we have had bipartisan support all along as we have worked together over the years. i thought it was particularly useful that what the president proposed is supported by large numbers in the public in a bipartisan, nonpartisan way, but not on the floor of the house of representatives. any questions that you may have? yeah.

>>[inaudible] >> well, the fact is some women said they would vote for the bill and now the bill that has come back is worse. i don't know what to make of it. millions of women will be affected and their reproductive health will be affected by what is happening. obviously we will be strenuously opposing that legislation. i don't know if that was about politics, but in terms of policy what they are bringing to the floor now is worse. we'll see how they vote. >> during the state of the union, the president again double downed on his threat to veto sanctions in iran. i was wondering how you react to

speaker boehner's -- and also i wanted you to touch on your experience as speaker >> well, i'll get to your second question first because the first part is much more important. negotiations on iran. when i was -- i was minority leader and became one of the four leaders, it was clear always, that if we had a suggestion about a head of state, it was something that had to be passed around the top four leaders. for example, one of my -- when i was minority leader, before being speaker, one of the people that i hoped to invite was the woman president of liberia. i knew that she would be a spectacular guest for the house, but for the congress, a joint session. i talked to the senate first.

i talked to the leadership about would that be ok? and they agreed that it would. the concern that people had going back then was, but those -- will those members show up? they are not always enthusiastic about attending these joint sessions. so that was my introduction to it. you have talked to other three there is some consensus among the four. i'm not saying that it is a big challenge. people usually would cooperate. they have raised their concern about attendance, this or that. i know we would be bursting at the seams. we were with attendance. again, i think everybody recognizes that we have to have our own -- i'm not going to go to them if we don't have our own agreement. so when i was speaker, we had king abdullah of jordan,