because it does not want to upset iran. holding back?? senator rubio: absolutely. iran is on the ground in iraq heavily. not just advisers. iranian fighters on the ground side-by-side with shia militias. they are agents of the region -- iranian government. iran does not want the u.s. presence in iraq of any kind. they have tolerated airstrikes because they can't stop them. they are -- there are rumors that i think some of them believe, that the u.s. is actually helping and we help them prevent isis. they don't want us there and don't want any american presence. i believe the militias on the ground pose and extraordinary threat to american facilities.

they are embedded side-by-side with regular iraqi forces and have full access to all of the iraqi government buildings. i believe that the united states had taken a more aggressive position -- charlie: against isis? senator rubio: against isis and a more stronger presence in iraq. it may have triggered them to respond in kind with a text their agents. charlie: what is your principal argument against an iranian deal that seems to be on the table now? senator rubio: my primary objection is that allows around to obtain the capability to enrich uranium or processed plutonium. there are other countries that have nuclear energy. iran does not need it. they are oil-rich. assuming they want it, there is a way to do it away other countries do by importing the material. the fact they can retain a country that sponsors terrorism that is developing long-range rockets, a country that we know

has been working on acquiring a nuclear weapon capability despite their life and has always had a secret component cannot have that infrastructure needed to process plutonium. charlie: but there is a reduction in centrifuges. and what they can do and new research. the secretary of energy has laid this out clearly. senator rubio: here's the problem. number one, they retain all the infrastructure they will need to break those. second, enforcing a deal requires for there to be full inspections. iran is saying that will not allow access to military facilities. charlie: the united states has not acknowledged that will be the reality. they say these will be the most intrusive inspections yet and if they start than they had one year to stop any development. senator rubio: we should never have retreated in my opinion.

they do not have a right to enrich uranium or process the ternium. we should have insisted they stop long-range missiles. we insist they should be open about all projects in the past. what iran is gambling on a simple. you know once the international sanctions are lifted, there is no way they will ever be reimposed. they believe they can evade sanctions. once the world's attention is diverted. they have learned from the north koreans. i'm convinced that some point they will pursue a nuclear weapon capability. in the interim they will exploit ambiguous language. any ambiguities or loopholes in the deal to advance their nuclear ambitions. charlie: we talked about iraq and the issue that came up with jeb bush, about the invasion looking back. he was asked a question. he said he understood -- misunderstood the question.

if you look at the iraq war after finding out there were no weapons of mass destruction, if you knew that, would you have been in favor of the iraqi invasion? senator rubio: not only would i not have been in favor president bush would not. he said so. charlie: but vice president cheney and others have said we don't want to go ahead. senator rubio: president bush says he is regrets the intelligence. i don't think the congress would have voted in favor. but let's be fair about the context. there was intelligence faulty, but also a history in iraq. it had had mobile units in the past that he used for biological capabilities. it is a country that actively had invaded a neighboring country in kuwait. it had an open dispute going on with international bodies about inspections, and allowing

international inspectors to do things. ultimately, i do not believe that if the intelligence said, the does not have a weapon of mass deception, i don't believe -- mass destruction, don't believe president bush would have authorized to move forward. charlie: with respect israel, a lot of people across the country who were republican, is your view on iran any different than your view of netanyahu? senator rubio: i view them as the same threat as he does. the difference is he lives a lot closer than i do. he is the prime minister of a country who every friday say -- iran says they want to destroy. and a country whose iran -- who their leader has said on social media that they want to eliminate from the face of the earth. that being said, my interest in israel is not about people who will support me politically.

it is a long-standing belief onto principles. the first is a moral one. israel was created as a homeland for the jewish people in the aftermath of the holocaust, so never again will they are not be somewhere that jewish people can seek refuge. the other is this. it is the only free enterprise democratic, pro-american country in the middle east. if we had more pre-enterprise pro-american democracies, my speech would be a lot shorter. charlie: do you support the two state solution? senator rubio: i don't think that the conditions for that exist. at this moment they do not exist. charlie: so we should forget about that possibility? senator rubio: that is the ideal outcome. charlie: but in your judgment there cannot be a two state solution? senator rubio: as they currently exist no. there no unity in the palestinian government. the teacher children that it is a glorious thing to kill jews.

they mismanage the current system of government. and they have rejected not one but two very generous israeli office -- offers for peace. the conditions don't exist. charlie: what's the alternative? senator rubio: continue to help palestinian authorities will be able to divide the level of stability in the territory so they will be allowed to go there economy and prosperity. ultimately conditions will rise up with new leadership. charlie: i brought this paper with me because the pope, as you know, said he thinks we should support a palestinian state. he also seems to be part of a renewed relationship with cuba. raul castro went to see the pope . he said, i will consider returning to the church. you're a good catholic. senator rubio: i try to be. it'll be a pretty long confession. [laughter] [applause] charlie: what's wrong with the

pope? senator rubio: the pope is the shepherd of a fate. his desire of peace and prosperity, he wants everyone to be better off. he is the head of state of the nation. a sovereign state. his desire is to separate the faith and the flock. that is what he wants to do. he desires a better future. anything he can do to open up more opportunities he will pursue. my interest is the national security of the u.s. in that is the belief is not good for our country or them, for a nation that harbors terrorists and fugitives, a nation that harbors advanced intelligence gathering facilities for china and russia. charlie: the first thing you would do if elected undo everything the president has done?

senator rubio: i would reimpose sanctions. if they want more telecommunications, then the cuban government will have to allow freedom of press. if they want more engagement with business they will have to allow more democratic openings for alternative groups. the condition is in lot right now. the embargo can be lifted tomorrow. charlie: think since have been in place for 50 years and achieved none of the objectives. senator rubio: what he is saying is not accident -- accurate. the sanctions are the embargo. the purpose was not to topple fidel castro. that was the best takes. the purpose was to prevent the trafficking of stolen goods. if you travel to cuba and stay at a hotel, you are staying in a stolen property. if you buy any product producing cube that you are going to buy a product produced from a stolen

property. over $7 billion was stolen from americans and others. i'm asking if the government went into your business, sees your property, force you into and found -- force you into xl -- charlie: but is that the rule or exception in revolutions? in taking over a country and not necessarily about restoring it to those who might have owned it beforehand? in terms of property rights. senator rubio: ultimately it is not about restoring. they never compensated for that property. the embargo said we are not going to allow you to traffic stilling goods. there is no japanese embargo on cuba. there is no south korean embargo. why doesn't cuba have samsung phones? charlie: why? senator rubio: because they are

incompetent. there is no cuban economy. the entire economy is owned by a holding company, run by rail cost rose son-in-law -- raul castro's son-in-law. we don't have an opening to cuba. we have an opening to the company. charlie: let me give members an opportunity to talk. this was in today's new york times. this may be what you were talking about. it is a mood of overreaching uncertainty and profound ask andy -- anxiety so ingrained we cannot overlook it. if one of the people can get voice to america's insecurity and a legal path out of it, he or she will almost certainly be victorious in 2016. senator rubio: he's right. that is what has happened for a decade now.

americans have been getting bad news. we had a company -- a country -- my parents came here and had no skills. a were able to achieve a middle-class lifestyle. they owned a home and raised a family. they were able to retire with dignity. they took enormous pride in what they have achieved. now, there is a feeling none of that is true anymore. globally we no longer appear to be able to shape events. domestically we have millions of people working hard, but now they are no longer in the first -- middle class. they live paycheck to paycheck. the question is, why is this happening? the answer is because the world is undergoing an extraordinary economic and geopolitical transformation. we need transformative leadership to help make that transition. charlie: i may assume everything

you have said before is the answer to this question. what is your believable path? senator rubio: i think the 21st century has the potential to be better. but it will require us to have an economic policies that make us competitive. that is why tax reform and regulatory reform and energy policy and dealing with that are impossible -- are integral. all the main jobs of the 21st century and require advanced education. but we have outdated higher education. in a globalized economy, foreign affairs have never mattered more. charlie: let me take questions. mary? >> i'm a lawyer. china has been aggressively building airstrips and ports in disputed territories in the south china seas. they have not denied that they

can in fact, be used for military purposes. that appears to be their purpose. how would you show american strength and leadership in the asia-pacific area, with respect to this kind of activity? what is your redline and what would you do? senator rubio: they're not just building airstrips, they are building islands. it's an illegitimate claim. part of their will idea that they own that part. the u.s. navy is thinking about challenging that. we should never accept the truth -- a truce. military and naval vessels go through that show it is international waters open for transit for anyone. i think it is critical to create a stronger alliance to fully pivoted to the

asia-pacific region. i think increased military alliance expanding beyond japan and south korea working even with australia and the philippines, to change the problems japan would have to face if they tried to move forward on their territorial claims. military spending is critical in this round because tran is investing billions of dollars and anti-access technology to make it difficult for american powers to get close. he also had to invest in the ability to defeat those capabilities. charlie: yes sir. you. >> senator, mark rosen, bank of america.

vladimir putin invaded georgia and recently crimea. all the problems on the border of ukraine as well. what would you do -- i think the governor thought rush i was a major foreign-policy problem. he was left at the time. it turned out to be much more accurate -- he was leftaughed at. senator rubio: the threat is not necessarily russia, but it is vladimir putin who wants to be leader of a great country. he wants to put behind him this humiliation of the 1980's and reestablish russia as a power on par with the united states. because he cannot achieve that economically he decided to do that militarily by making it very clear any nations in his

periphery must turn to him. i think the sanctions should be increased. i think sanctions will prove to be long-term devastating. beyond that think it is critical, whether it is the baltic states or the ukraine to have the necessary equipment to provide defense of their own territory. our many years -- for many years, we ask people to increase capacity to help us. but these nations did not invest enough in the ability to protect their own territory. everybody thought there was no threat anymore. now we see that is not true. putin believes he can take attract -- aggressive action in the ukraine and other countries that have russians "duration's

under the guise of moving in to protect them because he feels there is no consequence. he does not believe these nations will be able to put enough -- be able to inflict enough pain militarily. charlie: you would welcome ukraine initiative would be part of nato? senator rubio: i'm open to ukraine joining nato, but if we want to provide military capability to say they will join nato is a longer reach. we need to help them be able to defend themselves. >> you recognize the relationship between the u.s. economy and the transformations in the globe and the extraordinary growth in the markets around the world and a

growing middle class. you also have acknowledged most of the job growth in the u.s. comes from small businesses. could you talk for a minute about how you could get americans in small businesses to understand the world is their market, and how we can transform the culture of the country to be part of the world? senator rubio: the first thing out of a people is that we americans are for -- 4% of the population. all we do is sell things to each other. we need there to be millions of people around the globe who can afford to buy things we make. in order for that to happen you need global stability. that is what american leadership is important. without it there cannot be global stability. beyond that we cannot have access to these markets. that is why i think the retreat agreements are important. if we don't have trade agreements with the pacific, we are basically walking away from access to over a billion and a

half people or more. these are growing rapidly. we are not engaged in the fastest economic area and the world, our businesses will not prosperity or do come from miami where many businesses are impacted by global agreements. the colombian free-trade agreement affected people. i think is important for us to ask me to my neck and how critical it is we have access to millions of people around the world -- for us to have access to millions of people around the world. >> i was delighted to hear you referred to radical islam as one of the threats we face. the great ideological threat of the presidency went referenced

faced, truman, kennedy and reagan, was communism. is radical islam the equipment ideological threat we face? if so, what is your strategy for defeating it? senator rubio: that's an interesting question. all of these threats have different characteristics. communism was most certainly an economic and political view of the world but it also tried to basically create nationstates that would implement policies. radical islam is more diffuse and involves interconnected groups that make us back together to take action. but don't necessarily have an easy understood governance idea behind him. there is no economic model behind them. the history of these radical jihadist groups is once they take over the town, they do a terrible job of writing services. the strategies multi -- the strategy is multifaceted.

that is light libya has become a premier operational state. it has become a safe haven. it has become a launch point for attacks. iraq became a safe haven before that. 9/11 was possible because al qaeda had a safe haven in afghanistan. we cannot allow safe havens to emerge anywhere in the world. these ungoverned spaces where groups can set up camp. do not underestimate where isis is involved. they are trying to absorb al qaeda and taliban. they are present throughout almost all of north africa. they have extended virtually all of the middle eastern countries. they do have individuals that have never even traveled abroad sympathetic to their cause radicalized online, involved in the cause here and elsewhere. denying a safe haven is a key part and taking decisive

action. that is why i thought being involved in syria early was critical to preventing the growth of isis. charlie: richard, go ahead. >> as far as we know, hillary clinton supported early intervention in syria. you were critical of her just before. can you tell us specifically where she went wrong? senator rubio: first of all, what are the successes of her tenure? the reset with russia was a disaster. it misunderstood vladimir putin's gains. i thought the libyan engagement was not handled appropriately. the united states intervened for a short time militarily. the rest of the operation was left to the brits and french,

who do not have our capabilities. it was a protracted conflict that killed people and destroyed infrastructure and left behind the conditions of multiple militias. i traveled to libya after the fall of qaddafi, and want -- came back and warrned, if we did not get back on the front end, it would the, haven for extremism to take root. i thought they were completely negligent on affairs in latin america. very little discussion about how to improve our standing in the region. particularly in countries that were prospering. we also ignored the situation in countries moving in the opposite direction. argentina or bolivia or venezuela. i just don't believe there are many successes they can point to

during her tenure. she was the chief architect of a foreign policy that will go down in history as a disaster. charlie: right there in the back. >> spoke early on about the importance of holding other nations to high standards in terms of human rights. i think many would argue that has been eroded through continuing opening of guantanamo bay, and our own criminal justice issues. can you talk about your view of how to resolve guantanamo in regards to high-level human rights attention from the rest of the world? senator rubio: i believe innocent people deserve to have their rights respected. i think terrorists who plot to kill americans and engaged in plots to kill americans should

should be taken off the battlefield. that is the role guantanamo place. it was the only place we were able to gather intelligence. today we are not gathering enough intelligence from potential adversaries. many people who have in released had returned to the battlefield against america. i don't necessarily do the same -- when you have an active combatant against the united states in an effort to defeat us seeking to destroy as many americans as possible, you need to be taken off the battlefield. >> what would you do now about syria >>? would you support a no-fly zone? if president obama concludes with iran, you become president, what would you do? charlie: you have to choose one

or the other. [laughter] senator rubio: one of the great sticking points between us and allies is they are interested in getting rid of assad as well. i hope someone will ask me the iran question. charlie: i'm taking great pleasure that so many women are raising their hands. >> you are supporting the military quite strongly over various episodes today. right now, great part is health care. the military is becoming a health care organization. this does not include the v.a.. how are you going to support the military health care programs and returning veterans? senator rubio: that will go into the v.a. system which needs to be modernized. it was designed 87 years ago. it is no longer responsive to

the needs of veterans today. a significant percentage of the workload in my office and florida are v.a. as far as military spending is concerned, military spending is not the cause of national debt. every time we drastically reduce military spending, he requires us to come back later and make for it -- make up for it and much more expensive ways. i wish our military contracting looked more like our space contracting. but i can tell you, the number one obligation of federal government is the national security of the united states. we are eroding our capabilities at a time when many adversaries are increasing their capabilities. >> where are you getting the money from? senator rubio: the money is there. i think the question you're asking is what are we not going

to pay in exchange. the driver of our long-term debt is not discretionary spending. the driver of that is social security and medicare. my generation will not know medicare and social security if it continues. that is why i call for reforms that lead people like my mother on social security, exactly the same way. my generation is going to have to face a hard truth. it will either look different or will not exist by the time we reached retirement age. that is the driver of long-term debt. the next president of the united states will not be able to serve two terms without confronting this reality. those programs were designed when there were 60 workers for every retiree indicates that --. the logo down to two workers for every retiree.

we need to respond does or they will not exist for me or my children. the longer we wait, the more disruptive and more difficult it will be. charlie: pre we said w wouldn't go past the suggested time. his wife is giving me an ugly -- she must have some kind of pressing appointment. [laughter] she will get to her appointment for sure. i assume you have other things to do, as well. sen. rubio: thank you very much. [applause] >> next, the house debates a ban on abortions performed after 20

weeks of pregnancy. members of congress react to last night's amtrak train derailment and later, a house foreign affairs committee hearing on the persecution of religious minorities at the hands of the militant group isis. >> on the next "washington journal,:" congressional black caucus vice chair hockey and jefferies and his efforts at police reform. congressman peter roskam will discuss congressional oversight to prevent irs targeting of political groups and a proposal to create a new special inspector general to oversee implementation of the affordable care act. politico transportation reporter heather koegel with the latest on the crash investigation and a house vote to cut amtrak's budget. "washington journal"'s live each morning at 7:00 eastern on c-span. >> this weekend, the c-span

city's partnered with comcast to learn about the history of fort lauderdale, florida. >> this was really cultural tourism. when they set up their villages along the way, sometimes only lean-tos, the buses would stop. here was a tourist attraction. when they came into the tourist attraction, they were getting food a weekly allotment of food, and they were also getting cotton gins. they would also sometimes get fabric. they were sitting there sewing and making things for craft market. this is a little boys shirt belted shirt, from the 1920's. this was an experimental time for patchwork, and you can see that on the bottom, this is not

a design. this is little experimental design. the designs were bigger in the 1920's. and sometimes, they weren't used any longer than that particular decade. >> the thing about devils triangle and bermuda triangle, there are all kinds of things that have happened. 19 was a regular training mission. they would take off from the base, and then flight 19's would go east out towards the bahamas. they would drop bombs on that, and then they would continue on another 70 miles or so. and then they would turn north and go 100-something miles and then they could turn back west towards fort lauderdale. they never came back. later at night after they were sure they were out of fuel, they sent out these rescue planes looking for them. one of them disappeared.

the next day, they started a five-day search with hundreds of planes and ships, and they never found anything. >> watch all of our events from fort lauderdale saturday at 4 p.m. eastern and sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. on american history tv on c-span3. >> tonight, in a 242-184 vote, the house voted for a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape or incensed. the bill now moves on to the senate. here was the debate before the vote beginning with judiciary committee chairman bob goodlatte. this is an hour and 20 minutes. 36 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. goodlatte: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: since the supreme court's decision in roe versus wade, medical knowledge regarding the development of unborn babies and their capacities at various stages of growth has advanced dramatically. to give you a sense of how much

technology has advanced, here's the issue of the "new york times" announcing the roe versus wade decision in 1973. it contains ads for the latest in advanced technology, including a computer the size of a file cabinet you could rent for $3,000 a month that only had 1/1000th the memory of a cell phone and basic a.m. radio that was as big as your hand. the same newspaper would report on the latest advanced research on the pain experienced by unborn children focused on the research of an oxford-trained neonatal pediatrician who held an appointment at harvard medical school. if the fetus is beyond 20 weeks of gestation, i would assume that there will be pain caused

to the fetus and i believe it will be severe and excruciating pain. a few years later the terrifying facts uncovered in the gand jury report regarding dr. gosnell, would contain references to a neonatal expert who said the cutting of babies' spinal cords intended to be late-term aborted would cause them, and i quote, a tremendous amount of pain. congress has the power and the responsibility to acknowledge these developments in our understanding of the ability of unborn children to feel pain by prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, post-fertilization the point at which evidence shows the unborn can experience great suffering. the bill before us would do just that. it also includes provisions to protect the life of the mother and additional exceptions of rape and incease. some members last congress and

today have called this bill extreme but such claims are false as evidenced by the polls which show astounding support for this bill. a poll found that 62% of people surveyed supported the ban on abortions after 20 weeks or earlier. a clear majority of men women, whites, blacks, hispanics, married people and single people support a ban on abortion after 20 weeks. among women, 68% of women support a ban on abortions at 20 weeks or earlier, including 66% of single women and 71% of married women. even 49% of the democrats polled support a ban on abortion at 20 weeks or earlier significantly more than those who opposed it. a washington post poll similarly found 66% support for this bill and a huffington post poll found

support at 59%. today, america is one of the few countries on earth including north korea and china that allows per miss i have late-term abortion. these polls show the american people want to change that. today is the second anniversary of kermit gosnell's conviction for first degree murder. following the gosnell trial, we were all reminded that when late-term babies are taken from the womb and cut with scissors, they whimper, cry and flinch from pain. an unborn babies when cut inside the womb also whimper and cry and flinch from pain. delivered or not babies are babies and they can feel pain at least by 20 weeks. it is time to welcome young children who can feel pain into the human family. and this bill, at last, will do

just that. finally i would note that it is rare for the nonpartisan congressional budget office to be so -- confident that a bill would save lives that it makes estimates to the number of lives to be saved. but the c.b.o. did just that, conservatively estimating that this bill if enacted would save 2,500 lives each year. it could save many thousands more. but let that sink in for a moment. this bill if enacted would probably save at a minimum thousands of lives per year. it would give america the gift of thousands more children and consequently thousands more mothers and thousands more fathers. with all the wonders human gifts they will bring to the world in so many amazing forms, including their own children for

generations to come. i congratulate the subcommittee on the constitution and civil justice chairman, trent franks, for introducing this vital legislation, and i urge my colleagues to support it. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker and members of the house, this legislation is a dangerous and far-reaching attack on a woman's constitutional right to choose whether or not to terminate a pregnancy, a right that the supreme court guaranteed 42 years ago in the case of roe versus wade. one of the most significant problems with this legislation

is that it fails to include any exception for a woman's health. many serious health conditions materialize or worsened late in pregnancy, including damage to the heart and kidneys, hyper tension and even some forms of hormone-induced cancer. and yet by failing to include a health exception, h.r. 36 would force a woman to wait until her condition was nearly terminal before she could obtain an abortion to address her health condition. . in addition it's unconstitutional based on long-standing supreme court precedent. i will explain.

roe v. wade's basic holding is that a woman has a constitutional right to have an abortion prior to the fetus' viability. viability is generally considered to be around 24 weeks from fertilization, not 20 weeks. by banning pre-viability abortions, h.r. 36 is a direct challenge to roe v. wade. in addition, roe made clear that any regulation or abortion, even after viability, must not pose a substantial risk to the woman's health. but as i have already noted, h.r. 36 lacks any exception to protect a pregnant woman's health. it's therefore not surprising that the nation's leading civil rights organizations, medical

professionals, and women's groups oppose this bill. in addition, 15 religious organizations noted in a letter to members of congress opposing nearly identical legislation in the last congress that, quote, the decision to end a pregnancy is best left to a woman in consultation with her family, her doctor, and her faith. end quotation. finally, i want to be clear that the -- that contrary to assertions made by the bill's proponents this legislation still contains a woefully inadequate exception for victims of rape. the so-called rape exception is still based on a complete lack of understanding of the very

real challenges rape survivors face and why a rape may go unreported. it is also grounded in the distrust of women, assuming that women cannot be trusted to tell the truth, to make the best medical decisions for themselves and their families. for adult rape survivors, the bill no longer requires that the rape be reported to law enforcement. however, a woman must still obtain counseling 48 hours prior to the abortion and the fact that she has obtained counseling for a rape must be certified and documented in her medical file. and this counseling cannot be obtained in the same facility

where the abortion is provided. for minor victims of rape or incest an exception from the bill's onerous and unconstitutional restrictions only applies if the rape has been reported to law enforcement or a government agency legally authorized to act on reports of child abuse. rape is not rape unless the minor has reported it, even if that means putting her own safety at risk. for these reasons, my colleagues, i urge opposition to this dangerous legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. goodlatte: at this time, i

yield the remainder of my time to the gentlewoman from tennessee congressman black, as my designee for purposes of controlling the remainder of the debate on our side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee will be recognized as the designee of the gentleman from virginia. and the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you madam chair. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker, when i became a nurse more than 40 years ago, i took a vow to devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care. but our understanding of the science limited to the extent to which i could fulfill that promise has evolved. during my first years of nurse if a woman came into our hospital in labor at 32 weeks of pregnancy, our odds of saving her child were slim. however today, babies are being saved as early as 22 weeks into

fetal development, according to a study just released this past week by "the new york times." what's more, there is significant evidence that at 20 weeks of development unborn children have the capacity to feel pain. sadly, while we celebrate advances in technology that prove life has value and worth before leaving the hospital, we also continue to be one of only seven nations that allow elective long-term -- elective late-term abortions. one of only seven nations around this world. it is difficult to imagine a more important measure of society than how it treats the most innocent and defenseless population and by condoning the destruction of unborn life that could otherwise live outside the womb the united states tragically fails to meet this most fundamental human rights standard. basic decency and human

compassion demand that something has to change. polls consistently show that upwards of 60% of americans support putting an end to the dangerous and inhumane practice of late-term abortion. so to be clear, we have a mandate to act. that is why i strongly support the pain-capable unborn child protection act this week which will provide several protections for an unborn child at 20 weeks with exceptions to the saving the lie of the mother or in cases of rape and incest. today's vote coincides with the two-year anniversary of the conviction of the evil abortionist kermit gosnell, who killed babies born alive in his clinic and is responsible for the death of an adult woman. americans were rightfully outraged when they were told of his crimes. but the truth is that innocent

unborn children routinely suffer that same fate as goes nell's victims did -- as gosnell's victims did through normal late-term abortions and the government does not bat an eye. the only difference between these casualties and the loss of life that resulted in gosnell's murder conviction is the location. madam speaker if we cannot appeal to my pro-abortion lawmakers' sense of compassion when it comes to this issue surely we can at least appeal to their senses of logic and fact. knowing that premature babies are being saved as early as 22 weeks into fetal development there's no legitimate reason to oppose this bill. in the year 2015 the united states has no business aborting a life that can live outside the womb. science agrees and so do the majority of americans. the pain-capable unborn child protection act will right this

wrong. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i am pleased now to yield to the gentleman from tennessee -- i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from tennessee three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. cohen: thank you, madam speaker, thank you, mr. chairman, for the time. i appreciate the good feelings and earnest arguments made by the lady from tennessee and the gentleman from arizona. but the fact is this bill is patently unconstitutional. because this bill is not about

viability it's a subterfuge for viability and talks about the issue of pain. pain is not the issue, viability is the issue. with real -- and what the real issue is, politicians are not medical experts and women should make these decisions based upon information from people they trust. women should make these decisions based upon information from people they trust. the information given about this bill is limited. the fact is, doctor anan, cited by my friend the chairman of the committee is from the university of tennessee in memphis where i'm from. and the fact is, dr. anan, since 2005 has turned down requests to testify in regards to this type of legislation because he doesn't think that his studies have been used properly. abortion is not the focus and the polityization of his work

has got -- the politicization of his work has gotten out of hands. there are polls that say one thing and polls that say the other. the wol i respect shows about an even one third, one third split on support, opposition and indecision. but this isn't about polls. this is supposed to be about the constitution. and upholding roe v. wade and medical experts and not politicians making decisions that are poll-driven and possibly favorable to their own constituency. the exceptions for incest is the most egregious. if a person is pregnant a woman is pregnant because of incest, under this law, if the lady is under 18 years of age, there's one rule. but if she's 18 years of age or older there's another rule. and what it says is if you're 18 over and you're pregnant as a result of incest then you cannot get an abortion. you cannot.

but if you're under 18, you can if you report it to law enforcement authorities. and a discussion last night in rules committee, the vice chair of the rules committee errantly compared rape and incest. incest does not necessarily involve rape, it involves intercourse between parties that are not legally supposed to have intercourse and issues which could result in problems for the child. incest should always be an exception and the life and health of the mother should always be an exception and the health exceptions are limited to physical and not mental and emotional which are the most pressing for women and they're also a 48-hour waiting period in this bill system of this bill is unconstitutional and wrong, we should respect medical experts and not politicians and women to make decisions with people they trust and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expire the

gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. it is my pleasure to yield a minute to our majority whip, mr. scalise from louisiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. scalise: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank the gentlelady from tennessee for yielding and for her leadership and for all of the people that have work sod hard to bring this important bill to the house floor. if you look at what we're doing here today we're standing up for life of our most innocent. we're talking about babies that are more than 20 weeks in the womb. scientific evidence shows that after 20 weeks these babies can feel pain and so this bill prohibits abortions after five months of pregnancy. i'm proud to come from louisiana which has a distinction of being the most pro-life state in the nation. our state already bans this procedure, as do many. and not just states we're talking about. most nations in the world don't allow this procedure.

after 20 weeks. and so the united states will finally be joining the vast majority of other countries around the world and the vast majority of americans who understand that it's not right to have abortions after 20 weeks. this is an important bill. i think it's very strong message to we're going to be sending in defense of life by passing it and i urge my colleagues to support it as well. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired this egentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i am pleased to yield to a senior member of the house judiciary committee, jerry nadler of new york, three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for threemens. mr. nadler: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in opposition to h.r. 36. for more than 40 years, the supreme court has clearly and consistently held that women have the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability or at any time to protect the life and health of a mother.

this bill is unconstitutional as violating both of those provisions. the bill provides a narrow depomings protect women's lives, allowing physicians to terminate pregnancy after 20 weeks only in a woman's life is at imminent risk. this exemption fails to account for the many severe health issues that may arise late in pregnancy and forces physicians to think about legal implications rather than about a patient's health. that's -- perhaps most cruelly it encludes only a very narrow exemption for victims of rape and incest, requiring that any woman seeking an abortion after, prove she either reported the rape to authorities of sought counseling services. only 35% of sexual assaults are ever reported and we know there are many reasons for not reporting a rape. the toll our criminal justice system takes on victim the humiliation and intimidation faced by victims of i a 15u89 and the adegreesal risk to her safety. so why place this limit on the rape

quite simple. this bill says they believe women lie. the republicans seem to think that women are too dishonest to believe when they say they have been raped. this bill continues a tradition of treating women like second-class citizens. measures to restrict abortions that women lie about rape and must undergo invasive tests and exams and women are immoral. that is insulting. frankly none of our business. enough is enough. doctors, not politicians should be providing women guidance and medical support throughout their pregnancy and making a personal decision about terminating a pregnancy and women should make that decision for themselves. we must defeat this unconstitutional bill and afford women their constitutional right enjoyed by every man to make

decisions about their health care in the privacy of their doctors' offices. i urge to vote no and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: it is my honor now to call op representative franks from arizona, who is the sponsor of the bill. for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for five minutes. mr. franks: i thank the gentlelady. madam speaker, for the sake of all of those who founded this nation and dreamed of what america could someday be and for the sake of all of those who died in darkness so americans can walk in the light of freedom, it is important that those of us who are privileged to be members of this congress pause from time to time.

thomas jefferson marked the beginning of this nation said, quote 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 15th amendment talks about our constitution it says no person shall be deprived of life liberty or property without due process of law and the 14th amendment says no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law. madam speaker protecting the lives of all americans and their constitutional rights are especially those who can't defend themselves is why we are all here. and yet today madam speaker, a great shadow looms over america. more than 18,000 very late-term

abortions are occurring in america every year placing the mothers at greater risk and subbing their pain-capable unborn babies to torture and death without anesthesia and without any federal protection of any kind in the land of the free and the home of the brave. it is the greatest human rights atrocity in the united states today. and almost every other civilized nation on earth protects pain-capable unborn babies at this age particularly and every credible poll of americans show the american people are overwhelmingly in favor of protecting them. and yet we have given these little babies less legal protection than the protection we have given farm animals under the federal humane slaughter act. madam speaker, it just seems we are never quite so eloquent as when we decry the crimes of a past generation, but we often

become staggered when it becomes facing and rejecting the worst of atrocities in our own time. thankfully madam speaker i believe the winds are changing and now beginning to blow and that tid -- tide of blindness and blood is finally turning in america. because today today, we are poised to pass the pain-capable unborn child protection act in this chamber. and no matter how it is shouted down or if distractions, diversions, twisting of the words, changing the subject or falsehoods it remains that this bill is a deeply sincere effort beginning at the sixth month, at the sixth month of pregnancy to protect both mothers and their pain-capable unborn babies from the atrocities of late-term

abortion on demand. and ultimately it is one that all humane americans can support if they truly understand it for themselves. madam speaker, this is a vote all of us will remember the rest of our lives. it will be considered in history and i believe in the councils of eternity itself, but it shouldn't be such a hard vote. because in spite of all the political noise, protecting little unborn pain-capable babies is not a republican issue and it's not a democrat issue, but a test of our basic humanity and who we are as a human family. and it is time that we open our eyes and let our consciouses catch up with technology. time for the members of the united states congress to open our eyes and our souls and remember that protecting those who cannot protect themselves is

why we are all here. that's why we're here. madam speaker it's time for all americans to open our eyes and hearts to the humanity of these little pain-capable unborn children of god and the inhumanity of what is being done to them. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona yields back. the gentlewoman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm now pleased to recognize a distinguished member of the house judiciary committee, the gentlelady from washington ms. delbene for four -- one minute. ms. delbene: i rise in strong

opposition to h.r. 36, a nationwide 20-week abortion ban. it's truly appalling to me that house leaders keep ignoring the needs of middle-class bill while restricting women's health care and during women's national week, the legislation we are debating is an attack that ignores medical safety and puts women's health at risk and survivors are facing facing difficult circumstances and it has ideology into the doctor-patient relationship and puts politicians in charge of their medical care. house leaders need to stop interfering. the american people expect better from this chamber and deserve real solutions to the challenges they are facing. this bill fails women and their families and i urge my colleagues to vote no. and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: it is my delight to have the speaker of the house, john boehner from ohio, for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for one minute. the speaker: i rise today to urge the whole house to support h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. h.r. 36 is the most full-life legislation to ever to come before this body and it reflects the will of the american people. as such, it also reflects the contributions of many people and many perspectives. i take this opportunity to thank mrs. black, mr. franks, mr. pitts and mr. smith of new jersey for their hard work in bringing this bill to the floor. i thank our conference chair for her leadership in helping us

bring this bill to the floor. i'm going to take a moment to recognize all of the americans who spoke out for this bill. your voices have been heard. after all, we have no obligation, no higher obligation than to speak out for those who can't speak for themselves, to defend the defenseless. that's what this bill does. because we know that by five months in the womb unborn babies of capable of feeling pain and wrong to inflict pain on an innocent human being. and protecting these lives is the right thing to do. and again, a majority of americans agree. my colleagues, growing up with 11 brothers and sisters, i didn't need my parents to tell me that every child is a gift from god. but let me tell you, they did and did it often and because of

that respect, that sanctity and that dignity is everything. a vote for this bill is a vote to protect innocent lives and to protect our dearest values for generations to come. we should all be proud to take this stand today. and i urge my colleagues to vote for this bill today. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you madam speaker. i am now pleased to yield three minutes to the distinguished member of the judiciary committee ms. jackson lee from houston, texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for three minutes. ms. jackson lee: madam speaker, i have had more than a momentous time to be in this body.

i was moved by the conviction of my friend and colleague and the speaker boehner and representative franks, because i know they speak from their heart. but states cannot be distributed on one side of the aisle. my faith my god is no less than the republicans'. and i speak for those who cannot be here today. i speak for mothers who suffer in corners trying to provide for their children, but love their children and gave birth to them. i speak for those who i sat in a room called the judiciary committee some years ago by listening to the pain of mothers who said, i want this child. but my doctor has advised me that my life would not have

survived to take care of my other children had i not had the ability to be able to follow my doctor and my faith. praying with my husband, my faith leader, my extended families to make decisions that would, in fact, provide for not only future children, but for my sanctity and ability to be the woman that i need to be. just outside this chamber, i met the author of the song "glory." many of us heard it in the movie of "selma." and it says one day when the glory comes, it will be ours. it will be ours. everybody's glory is different. but h.r. 36 besides being unconstitutional speaks against 25,000 women in the united

states who came -- became pregnant as a result of rape. 30% of -- 30% requires that women to report their ordeal before they go to a law enforcement officer. it challenges their faith and their love of god. and so i am incensed that we challenge someone's faith. i speak to those women who cannot be here today, who love children who love life who are good mothers. and i take no less in the conviction of those who have spoken for my conviction and the conviction of those women or tiffany campbell when she was 19 she was pregnant, she and her husband her pregnancy was inflicted with twins' infusion

-- mr. conyers: i yield to the gentlelady an additional unit -- minute. ms. jackson lee: the news was devastating. but they had to make a decision that was guided by the doctor and their faith. the campbells it was out of selected termination, they risked the loss of both fetuses and would not have any. and in 22 weeks in consultation with their doctors, they aborted one fetus in order to save the other. the life-saving procedure for one of the fetuses would be illegal under the new 20-week ban. i beg of my colleagues. i know there will be those who will vote. but as i stand here today i do not condemn the conviction of my friends, but i'm welled up with tears because i have hugged those who had no where else to

go. and no man can stand and tell a woman what rape is and how it feels or what the results of that is. that is why the constitution, the ninth amendment and the supreme court interpreted roe v. wade as it did. . mr. conyers: i yield the gentlewoman one more minute. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman. i am welled with emotion. not nor killing. but for saving. not for condemnation, but for appreciation. not for judging, but for letting people know that i have constituents who are huddled in places right now in houston, texas, in fear. huddles because laws have prevented them from good counseling counseling before such tragedy would happen. laws that he would prevent them from having facilities in their area. they fall victim to sheisters

because of laws we have passed here. i can't see that anymore and h.r. 36 now make it a federal offense and owe fends doctors and people -- owe fends doctors and people of -- offends doctors and people of faith. i love that song "glory" and it says one day when the glory comes it will be ours. it will be ours. the glory has to be tolerance and acceptance of people's condition. we must do the right thing in this congress. vote against h.r. 36. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. >> i yield 1 1/2 minutes to mrs. wagner. mrs. wagner: i thank the gentlelady for yielding and for her leadership on this issue. madam speaker i rise today in support of life. life begins at conception. we know that after three weeks the baby has a heart beat. after seven weeks the baby begins kicking in the womb,

leaving -- believe me, as a mother of three i know it well. by week eight 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 grass wp his or her hand. by week 12 the baby can suck or her thumb. by week 15 the baby has an adult taste buds and the week of 1 that baby can flex hiser -- 18 that baby can flex his or her arm and by the week of 20, madam speaker, not only can that baby recognize the sound of his or her own mother's voice, that baby can also feel pain. madam speaker it is not only the pain of the child that must be -- that we must be concerned with, it is the pain of the mother. h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act, provides protections for both the woman and the child. this is not a bill restricting women's rights. this is a bill that supports

and protects life. it is pro-woman it. encourages discussion, medical treatment and counseling for women who have 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, madam speaker is pro-child. it ensures a baby born alive will be given life saving treatment. this bill is pro-woman and pro-child. solutions to who our science and our values are deep -- values already tell us. a baby of 20 weeks can feel pain and the baby deserves protection. madam speaker, i am for life at all stages. i am for the life of the baby and the life of the mother. i will continue to work toward the day when not only is abortion illegal but, madam speaker, it is unthinkable. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to have the gentleman from tennessee replace me as -- the control

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will be recognized to control the time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you. that is an august responsibility, to control time. and in that control i yield two minutes to the gentleman from rhode island. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for two minutes. mr. cicilline: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 36. instead of considering legislation that would help to promote our economic recovery, expand educational opportunities, repair our crumbling infrastructure or invest in science and research, our house colleagues on the republican side continue to pursue an extreme social agenda. i stand to strongly oppose h.r. 36, which would violate supreme court precedent and impose arbitrary and unconstitutional restrictions on women's health care decisions. every woman in america deserves access to affordable

comprehensive health care, including full reproductive health care. h.r. 36 would ban abortions after 20 weeks, even though medical professionals have explained that some deadly and severe conditions cannot be diagnosed earlier. politicians are not medical experts. and should not be making health care decisions for women in this country. these decisions are probably made by women in consultation with their health care professionals, not by a bunch of politicians in washington. in addition the bill contains an unreasonably narrow exception for cases in which a woman's life is in danger or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest. only if the woman has sought mental health counseling or reported the incident to law enforcement. even though we know that a majority of these crimes go undisclosed or unreported. this bill is a dangerous distraction from the pressing needs facing our country. i urge my colleagues to oppose this terrible bill and leave

health care decisions in the hands of the people they belong in the women of this country. that i -- with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. now i yield one minute to the gentleman from nebraska, mr. fortenberry. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from nebraska is recognized for one minute. mr. fortenberry: thank you madam speaker. i thank the gentlelady from tennessee for her leadership on this important issue. madam speaker, there's a rule in the house of representatives that any little child who is a guest of ours can come right down here and be in the well with us. lease a-- let's assume for a moment that one of those children tripped and fell and hurt themselves and cried out in pain. there's not a member of this body that wouldn't rush to their side and comfort them. that's what this bill does today. it rushes to the side of children who are feeling the pain of violence of abortion. let's stand with them. let's stand with women who deserve better than the aggressive tactics of the

abortion industry and their profit-seeking and marketing. let's rebuild our nation's compassion capacity so that we can understand what is right and just, by protecting the little ones who are most vulnerable. let's do something good for america today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you. i yield a minute to the gentlelady from california, ms. lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. ms. lee: thank you. i thank the gentleman for yielding, for your leadership. madam speaker of course i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 36, which is nothing more than another ideological attack on women's reproductive rights. this bill would institute a nation-wide ban on abortion after 20 weeks with no exceptions to protect women's health. it adds unnecessary burdens, obstacles to deny medical care to women in the most desperate of circumstances, including in the instance of rape, by

requiring women to seek counseling or medical treatment prior to their medical procedure. i remember the days of back alley abortions. many women died and more were permanently injured before row vs. wade. with this -- roe vs. wade. with this bill, republicans have once again decided to take us back there, that threatens physicians with criminal prosecution. this bill is unconstitutional, it's dangerous and it's wrong. no woman should have a politician interfering in her personal health decisions. they should always be kept private, period. my faith is as deep as those using their faith, imposing their faith on women who must make these very difficult personal decisions. instead of passing yet another bill that attacks women, we should get back to the real work that american families desperately need -- mr. cohen: i yield the gentlelady an additional 30 seconds. ms. lee: like eliminating poverty, instituting real

criminal justice reform and increasing job opportunities for all. for those who say that they support life then why not support universal preschool, paid family medical leave affordable child care, support those life-affirming measures that we're trying to get passed here? i urge a no vote on this outrageous attack on women. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the chair of the pro-life caucus, mr. smith from new jersey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. smith: thank you to present it franks, speaker boehner mrs. mcmorris rogers, the gentlelady presiding in the chair. this has been a team effort and it will yield considerable protection when it's finally enacted into law. the pain-capable unborn child protection act is landmark human rights law. it recognizes the compelling body of medical evidence that unborn children feel pain and

seeks to safeguard and protect vulnerable children from the violence of abortion. a leading expert in the area of fetal pain has said, and i quote, it is my opinion that the human fetus possesses the ability to experience pain from 20 weeks of gestation, if not earlier, and the pain perceived by a fetus is possibly more intense than that perceived by term newborns or older children. the doctor testified before the judiciary committee and said when we speak of infants at 20 weeks, we no longer have to rely on ultrasound imagery. because such premature patients are kicking, moving and reacting and developing right before our eyes in the neonatal intensive care unit. today madam speaker, surgeons routinely administer anesthesia to unborn children society's littlest patients, to treat diseases and anomallies and to perform benign corrective

surgeries. today there are kermit gosnells, you remember him, the inif if a mouse abortionist who was -- infamous abortionist who was convicted two years ago today in philadelphia, they're all over america inflicting not only violence and death on very young children but excruciating pain as well. when it comes to pain, i he don't know about -- i don't know about you, but i feel this way i dread it. we all seek to avoid it. we even fear it. we go to great and extraordinarily lengths to mitigate its severity and duration. this legislation protects an entire age-specific class of kids from preventable pain and death. this is human rights legislation. i urge my colleagues to support it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i would yield a minute to the gentlelady from

new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for one minute. mr. vela: i thank the gentleman for yielding -- velazquez velazquez i thank the gentleman for yield -- ms. have a less questions: i -- ms. velazquez: i rise in strong opposition to this legislation. this is about a woman's ability to make her own decisions in consultation with her doctor, not politicians. not only does this unconstitutional bill run afoul of long standing judicial precedent, but it will also jeopardize women's health by banning abortion after 20 weeks, even in cases where pregnancy complications arise from serious health issues like heart conditions kidney disease and cancers. what about the life of the mother? women facing desperate medical situations will see their health care options restricted through this unacceptable bill.

furthermore, rape and incest victims will face additional hurdles when terminating a pregnancy. doctors and health care providers will encounter threats or fines and even imprisonment when they are simply trying to provide compassionate care to women in need. madam speaker, this bill inserts the government into one of the most personal decisions a woman can make and would interfere with the relationship between women and their doctors. so much for getting government off my back. i would like to say two things get the government out of my bedroom. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker, i now yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from pennsylvania. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. rothman: madam speaker, our --

mr. rothfus: madam speaker, our declaration of independence states that everyone is endowed with an inhe will al-- with an inalienable right to life. who could forget president kennedy's words more than 50 years ago when he said our rights do not come from the generosity of the state but from the hand of god? this legislation expands protections for the right to life. it recognizes that a class of children, unborn babys older than 20 weeks who feel the pain of abortion, should be protected. we must stand in solidarity with these vulnerable children and affirm we will protect you. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 36. i thank the speaker and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the patient woman from massachusetts. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from massachusetts is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes.

ms. clark: i agree with the gentleman from tennessee that we are privileged, we're privileged to represent our districts and our country but we are not medical experts and we are not privileged to insert ourselves into these most personal decisions that must remain with women, their doctors, their families and their faith. clearly absent from this congress' agenda is any discussion about persistent wage inequality hurting women and their families. what about paid parental leave or making sure families get access to quality childcare? what are we doing about feeding hungry children or making sure that every child can access education? how about anything at all concerning women that doesn't have to do with restricting reproductive rights? let's call this bill what it is, it's an unconstitutional

bill that would force survivors of sexual assault and incest to jump through hoops in order to get the medical care they need. this bill is an insult to women and to their families. as women and families are working hard to move this country forward, we're seeing a republican congress obsessed with moving us backwards. i urge this congress to get back to work for them and reject this unconstitutional and insulting bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker i now yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from texas mr. babin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. babin: i rise in support of this bill. this act takes an important step to protecting unborn life.

unborn babies have the capacity to experience pain after 20 weeks. ending these lives through abortion is both unconscionable and inhumane. as members of congress, it's our duty to protect those who are defenseless. our bill affirms the highlyity of the unborn while curbing the unhumanity of abortion. one of seven children and five children of my own and grandfather of 12, i ask my colleagues to support this pro-life bill and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: may i inquire as to how much time we have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee has 7 1/2 minutes. the gentlewoman from tennessee has 8 1/2 minutes. mr. cohen: i yield one minute to the gentleman from michigan, mr. kildee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. mr. kildee: thank you. i thank my friend for yielding. you know, here we are again at

a time when this congress should be focusing on the american people's top priorities, growing our economy creating good-paying jobs, dealing with crumbling infrastructure, dealing with the big challenges that the american people sent us to do and we are not doing that, we continue yet another attack on women's health. health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, not politicians in washington. let me repeat. health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, not politicians here in washington. we need to work together on the things we agree on. this keeps coming up over and over again. american people, american women deserve the respect that should be accorded to them, to exercise their right of privacy and their constitutionally protected right and not have people here in this chamber continually attack their

decisions that should be made in direct personal private consultation with their physician. and to do anything other than that i think is taking this country and this congress in the wrong direction. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker i now yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from alabama, mr. aderholt. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. aderholt: thank you madam speaker. i want to thank the gentlewoman from tennessee for her work on this bill and all of my colleagues that had a hand in it. in particular, the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks, for authoring this important legislation. i think most people would be surprised to learn that the united states is one of only seven countries in the world that allows elective abortions to be performed after 20 weeks. science has shown us that underborn children can feel pain. some argue against this. but then why would unborn babies who are given

life-saving operations in the womb are given anesthesia? the founding fathers strongly believed that human beings are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain alienable rights. it is the duty of members of congress to protect those who cannot speak for themselves and i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i recognize the gentleman from california on the day after yogi berra's 90th birth-day, mr. bera, not related. -- birthday, mr. bera, not related. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman. mr. bera: i am a doctor and when i graduated medical school i took an oath, i'm going to sit with my patient. i'm going to answer their questions and i'm going to empower them to make the decisions that best fit their

lives and their health care. that is sacred to the oath that i swore when i became a doctor. this bill will make it criminal for me to do my job as a doctor. it is all about empowering our patients to make the decisions that best fit their lives. answering their questions. it's personal. you know, i think about this as a father of a daughter. i want my daughter to grow up in a country where she's in charge of her own health care decisions. you know, when we think about women in government, none of us wants the government to come into the exam room and get between that doctor-patient relationship. this is sacred. this is what health care's all about. it's about working with our patients answering their questions and putting them in charge of their own health care decisions. this is a bad bill. this is a bill, massive government overreach. vote against this bill. let us do our jobs as doctors. thank you and with that i yield

back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: madam speaker, i now yield -- excuse me -- 30 seconds to the gentleman from north dakota, mr. cramer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north dakota is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. cramer: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker the most basic responsibility of a government of the people, by the people and for the people is to protect the people. we protect our senior citizens' economic security, social security. we protect our country with our national security. we have a department of homeland security to protect all people. it seems that the very least we can do for the most vulnerable, defenseless and innocent among us is to protect them with this most basic right. to protect them from the imposition of the excruciating pain of abortion. i ask my colleagues to vote yes on this important bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: mrs. maloney from new york, i recognize for a minute and a half.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. i rise in opposition to h.r. 36. it endangers women's health. it contains a woefully inadequate rape exception and is patently unconstitutional. it contains no health exception for the mother. the entire premise that women must provide quote, proof of rape is preposterous and hurtful to women who have already faced incredible trauma. most of us cannot begin to fathom what a woman has faced in these situations. the f.b.i. rates rape the second worst crime preceded only by murder in terms of the destruction and continuing harm to the victim. this is truly adding insult to injury. the majority party expects

survivors to be mindful of keeping good medical paper records and to file paperwork that they, the majority, have decided that the rape victims should file. the reality is that abortions after 20 weekends are rare and represent just 1.5% of pregnancies that are terminated. in almost all of these cases the woman choosing an abortion are doing so because there is a grave problem with their pregnancy and their own health that affects their fetus. some fetuses are incompatible with life, and in some cases going to full term would destroy a woman's ability to have future children. even after four decades of settled law, some of my colleagues still refuse to cede women their constitutional right and the autonomy and

human dignity that goes with being allowed to make your own decisions about your own body and your own health care. the party of individual rights and states' rights wants to go into medical personal decisions of women in this country with their doctors. i urge my colleagues to reject this awful bill, h.r. 36, and recognize that women are both capable and prepared to make decisions about their own bodies and their own medical care. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from iowa, mr. king. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from iowa is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. king: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentlelady for yielding. i rise in support of h.r. 36, and i would point out that we have had an estimate of 58

million abortions in this country since roe v. wade. that's roughly 14 million by planned parenthood alone. it's about one million abortions a year in this country. but we ended partial birth abortion for one reason because those babies were -- their lives were ended the moment before they could scream for their own mercy, and now with pain capable, we're going to be able to -- we're going to be able to stop that abortion that's coming because we can see in 4-d ultrasound that these babies are thriving for their own mercy. these babies need to be brought forth so they can live, learn laugh and love so they can celebrate the life that we gave them. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you. i'd like to make note that we have the american college of nurse mid wives, the american

obstetricians and gynecologists, the american medical association, the american medical women's association, american nurses association, american miracle association, many others against this bill. and i'd like to hear from the other side those against -- for this bill. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, mrs. walters. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. mrs. walters: madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. this bill will protect women and children by establishing federal legal protections from unborn babies of 20 weeks. substantial evidence has shown that children at 20 weeks or the fifth month of pregnancy have the capacity to feel pain and due to modern medicine are increasingly likely to survive a premature birth. furthermore this bill protects

the health of mothers when they are at their most vulnerable state. at 20 weeks, a woman is 30 times more likely to die from abortion than she would in the first trimester. after 1 weeks, that risk -- 21 weeks, that risk of mother increases almost 100-fold. this is week-long women's health week, encouraging women to prioritize their health. i'm pleased to stand in support of this piece of women's health legislation today. this bill will empower women in their health care decisions and protect the lives of the innocent unborn. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from tennessee continues to -- mr. cohen: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: i'm going to yield one minute to the gentlelady from missouri mrs. hartzler.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized for one minute. mrs. hartzler: madam speaker, i rise today in support of the pain-capable unborn tried protection act. this protects unborn children and ensures that those born alive are given the same level of care as other premature infants. i'd like to introduce you to micah and his parents. his mom danieal recalls telling if her son was not -- we were told our baby would not cry upon birth. we were told he would be stillborn. he would have a 95% chance of horrible life-altering disabilities like not talking, not walking, not eating on his own. on the morning micah was born, he defied all odds. we didn't know what god's will for micah was but we do now. it is to be a voice for all those other babies. i ask unanimous consent to

insert danieal's full story and letter into the -- dan yell's full storly and letter into the record. -- story and letter into the record. without objection. mrs. hartzler we are i urge my colleagues -- mrs. hartzler: i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 36. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i'd like to recognize mr. deutch from florida for a minute and a half. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized -- i'm sorry, florida, is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. deutch: i thank my friend for yielding. my republican colleagues have no interest in preventing abortions after 20 weeks. motivation behind h.r. 36 couldn't be more transparent. they want to make abortion after 20 weeks illegal and

abortions before 20 weeks impossible. consider the story of a young woman named josephine. who recently moved to florida from texas. with her two kids after escaping an abusive husband. while trying to build a stable home for her children, she was raped and she became pregnant. she couldn't afford an abortion or a trip to her provider more than 80 miles away. so josephine attempted to perm terminate the pregnancy herself by -- to terminate the pregnancy herself by ingesting poison. by the time she gathered enough resources to cover her procedure and transportation to her provider nearly 80 miles away, she was 23 weeks pregnant. if this republican majority had its way, josephine would be denied access to a safe and legal abortion. from regulating providers out of business, to requiring waiting periods to mandating

counseling and medically unnecessary ultrasounds, this republican majority has made securing an abortion has made exercising a woman's constitutional right a long and expensive process. let's reject this bill and instead work to ensure that all women can control their own bodies their own health and their own destinies. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentleman from maryland, mr. harills. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for one minute. mr. harris: thank you madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 36 today and let's call this bill what it is. it's a late term abortion ban. that's what it is. the majority of americans agree, madam speaker that late term abortions should be

illegal in this country. whether it's unconstitutional is not up for this body to determine. i believe the supreme court will rule that this is constitutional. because there's a reason why a majority of americans believe that late term abortions should be illegal. it's because that baby is developed at 20 weeks, developed enough to perceive pain. that's how developed. developed enough to survive outside the womb. that's how developed. that's why a majority of americans believe that that baby has rights as well. that's what we're here to do today. h.r. 36 preserves the rights of that baby to survive. i practicalitiesed medicine for over 20 years -- practiced o.b. for 20 years. down the corridor you'd abort them. this bill says that if that

baby being aborted is born alive, someone's going to recesstate that baby. that's what we need, madam speaker. that's why i support h.r. 36. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee has 1 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. cohen: we go back to the reserve mode. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentlelady from alabama, mrs. roby. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from alabama is recognized for one minute. mrs. roby: thank you madam speaker. thank you to the gentlelady from tennessee. and everyone who has worked so hard on this bill. i've sat here for the past 20 minutes, 25 minutes listening, for however long listening to this it bait. i've been struck by the op -- this debate. i've been struck by the opposition to this bill's con stapt and consistent argument that this is about leaving these decisions to the mother and her doctor. what about the baby?

who's standing up for that baby who cannot speak for themselves? that is what we are doing here today. this is such an important measure, on behalf of those who don't have a voice and can feel pain. and it's a shame that such a humane and compassionate measure has opposition at all. especially since great care has been taken to protect women and babies in this bill. if we won't stop abortions at five months, when unborn babies feel pain, when will we stop it? there has to be limits. and even those of us who want to end abortion altogether, in any form, we support this restriction. you know why? because it protects babies, it saves babies it protects women and it assigns a greater value to human life. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee

is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield one minute to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. fleming. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for one minute. mr. fleming: i thank my good friend from tennessee. and i rise today as a physician, as a father and as a grandfather in support of h.r. 36, the pain-capable unborn child protection act. it's no surprise that unborn children as young as 20 weeks postfertilization feel, respond to and recoil from pain. these tiny forming human beings make faces yawn, stretch and suck their thumb. my own granddaughter, who is now about 20 months of age, when we viewed her 4-d ultrasound, her face, compared to today, is almost exactly the same. it's unbelievable how

human-like, how much like a baby a baby really is in the womb. because, let's admit it, it is a child. it is a human life. we celebrate when our friends and family post these precious ultrasound pictures. in fact, life is always a celebration. and it's only right that we should be vigilant to ensure that the womb remains the most peaceful, protected place for a child to grow and be nurtured. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 36, which will protect children in the fifth month of development from the excruciating pain and intended violent death of an abortion. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you, madam speaker. i yield one minute to the gentlelady from utah mrs. love. ms. love: thank you madam speaker. i wasn't planning on speaking today. i didn't put my name on a list to speak today.

i was actually sitting in my office listening to the debate. about this bill. and i started thinking of my three children. i started thinking about the decisions that we have to make in order to protect them. and i'm disappointed. i am disappointed that there's even opposition to this piece of legislation. i want you to know that we as adults have a voice. we're able to speak, we're able to speak on opposition to things. but we have children that do not have a voice. those babies that we know can feel pain. do not have a voice. now, i want everyone who is watching today, because i'm not trying to convince my colleagues i want every american that is watching this today to think of their children think of their nieces their nephews, their grandchildren, the ones that they love, would they inflict this kind of pain to keep them from coming into the world? we have a moral obligation in

this country to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. it is time that we do our job. life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee has one minute remaining. the gentleman from tennessee has 1 1/2 minutes remange. -- remaining. is the gentleman from tennessee prepared to close? mr. cohen: yes indeed, i am. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentlewoman prepared to close? mrs. black: i am, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. cohen: thank you madam speaker. i think if anybody listened to this debate, they would see one thing clearly. that there's a difference on the two sides. a difference in perspective and a difference on the facts. some say that clearly the fetus feels pain. and my data shows the majority of medical opinions says the fetus does not. and doctor anan, who they cite,

mine research shows has retracted his position and doesn't want to be in this debate and he's an outliar. the bottom line is there are differences. differences to the facts as well as the opinions. and what that should say to anybody madam speaker, who watches this debate is this issue shouldn't be decided by politicians but it should be decided by medical experts and by women with the people they trust. medical experts not politicians. and by women with the people they trust. and the truth of this debate came down to a lady from north carolina who testified, contrary to what she said in january, in january she said the bill that came before this house was not a good bill and shouldn't come to the house and was withdrawn because incest is incest. and it shouldn't be seen that people 18 and over doesn't get an abortion if they're the victim of incest. this bill allows it. she changed her position. at the close of her statement she said, i will not rest until abortion is illegal. and that's what this is about. it's the beginning of the end

of abortion at 20 weeks, at 17 weeks, at 1 weeks, at one week -- 12 weeks, at one week at conception. this is an ty abortion bill, it's -- anti-abortion bill, it's not about fetal pain it's not about 20 weeks. that's what it's about. american women need to wake up. i thank and i close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized. mrs. black: thank you madam speaker. madam speaker, during the course of this debate we have heard more than a few mischaracterizations against this legislation. in truth, this is just a modest compassionate bill that does not in any way change abortion law for the first five months of pregnancy. as a nurse for more than 40 years, i know that late term abortion is not health and it is not caring. it takes an innocent life that we know can feel pain inside

the womb and sin creasingly viable outside the womb. this is a human right issue. and we have the responsibility to act. i therefore urge a yes vote on >> live coverage of the gators vote folk festival -- petersburg book festival. then we will close out at book expo america, where the publishing industry so cases upcoming books. on the first week in june, we are lie for the chicago tribune printers fast, including our in-depth three-hour program. that is this spring on c-span2's

book tv. >> new jersey center bob menendez went to the senate floor today to talk about the amtrak accident. his remarks are 10 minutes. hout objection. mr. menendez: mr. president i rise to bring attention to the tragic amtrak derailment that took at least seven lives and caused over 140 injuries including an associated press member from new jersey, jim gaines of plainsboro, new jersey. and our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their lives. to those of us from new jersey and those who live along the northeast corridor, they are our neighbors, our friends our relatives. they could be us and it hits especially close to home. i know because i take amtrak virtually every week back to new

jersey. there was a period of time last night when i didn't know the whereabouts of my son rob who was scheduled to be on amtrak back to new york. but i later found out that he was on the next train immediately behind the one that derailed and thankfully he was safe. i'm grateful for that. but others were not so lucky. but "luck" should not be america's transportation policy. it's imperative that the cause of the derailment is fully investigated so that we can prevent tragedies like this in the future. i've already been on the phone with transportation secretary anthony fox and continue to closely monitor the situation. i want to recognize the extraordinary work of our first responders. once again firefighters, police officers emergency responders showed us what bravery is really all about. they ran to the crash site to

save lives while others were running away and for that we should all be grateful. now, we don't know what caused this accident but we do know that we need to invest in 21st century systems and equipment and stop relying on patchwork upgrades to old rusted, 19th century rail lines. you know, i -- i travel amtrak, as i said, virtually every week. i travel the accela, which is supposed to be the high-speed rail. it's like shake rattle and roll. as a member of the senate foreign relations committee i've traveled in other countries in the world like japan and they have a bullet train for which you virtually cannot feel anything while you're on the train going in speeds far in excess of what we call high-speed rail. now, there are still many questions we don't know the answer to. was there human failure? was there a mechanical failure?

were there infrastructure issues? or was it a combination of issues? what we do know is that our rail passengers deserve safe and modern infrastructure. new jersey, for example is at the heart of the northeast corridor. it has long held a competitive advantage with some of the nation's most modern highways and extensive transit network and some of t some of the most significant core doors in the world and some of the largest and busiest rail lines and ports. in a densely populated state like new jersey, the ability to move people safely and efficiently is critical to our quality of life. unfortunately, in recent years new jersey and the nation as a whole have fallen behind. we have 20 years maximum maximum, before the hudson river tunnels articulate of service.

20 years may sound let a long time. but it is a flash in the eye. think about what happens if we take either or both of those out of service without alternative. they are essential to moving people and goods to a region that contributes $3.5 trillion to our nation's economy. 20% of the nation's gross domestic product. they provide 65% of the bridges that need significant repair. there is an 800 and $8 billion backlog. on the transit side, there is an 86 billion backlog of maintenance needs. not maintaining what we have.

it would take almost $19 billion a year through the year 2030 to bring our transit aspects into good repair. these are just a handful of the statistics underscoring our nation's failure to invest in our transportation network. we have to get beyond looking at the numbers on a page. we have to talk about what congress's failre to act represents to every community. every community, every family on every day. every construction worker looking for a job. failure to act means that construction workers now face a 10% unemployment rate. a time when our infrastructure is crumbling around us. it means the business cannot compete in a globalized economy because their goods can't get to market on time. it means the working