Daily Archives: May 9, 2021

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Family Research Council released today an issue analysis,"Prenatal Nondiscrimination Acts: Why They Are Essential." Prenatal Nondiscrimination Acts (PRENDAs) seek to prevent abortion being used as a tool of eugenics. These laws prohibit anyone from knowingly aborting an unborn child solely on the basis of his or her sex or disability. FRC's new issue analysis explains how these laws address the long shared history of abortion and eugenics in America; which states have passed legislation to ensure unborn children are not aborted on account of their race, sex, or disability; and the challenges these laws have faced in court.

Sixteen states have enacted some form of a PRENDA law, and more are in the pipeline. Yesterday, the North Carolina House Health committee approved such a bill, H 453, and last week Arizona's Governor Ducey signed SB 1457 into law, banning abortion based on genetics. Recently, the federal U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld Ohio's Down syndrome abortion ban.

Katherine Beck Johnson, FRC's Research Fellow for Legal and Policy Studies and one of the authors of the issue brief, made the following comments:

"Weapplaud states working to protect the most vulnerable through PRENDAs. These laws remind society that each and every child has inherent dignity. They end the atrocious act of targeting the littlest members of our society and put us one step closer to ending Roe v. Wade.

"Reality is quickly settling in that the Biden administration is the most pro-abortion administration in history. However, it's greatly encouraging that we are seeing a wave of pro-life momentum on the state level in response to President Biden's radical abortion agenda.

"These laws powerfully undercut the rationale for Roe v. Wade, as they hold promise to end the viability standard set forth in Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In May 2019, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a lengthy opinion in Box v. Planned Parenthood, in which he cited abortion's eugenic roots and its continued eugenic potential. This opinion has emboldened even more states and lower courts to protect the unborn from discriminatory abortions," concluded Johnson.

To download the issue brief, visit: https://frc.org/prenda

SOURCE Family Research Council

http://www.frc.org

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FRC Celebrates Growing Momentum for Protection of the Unborn from Discrimination on the Basis of Race, Sex, or Disability - PRNewswire

House Bill 4 53. The corporate greed, Representative McGarrell ralph Bradford baker in our hospital 4 53 of intervene Thailand to protect against discrimination of human life, johnson not cleaning lady from carter. It represented. Michael raft is recognized to debate the bill and the House will come to order. Thank you Mr speaker and thank you members. Um I just want to thank my primary co sponsors. Representative Kristen baker, Representative Art and Representative Bradford. And I would truly appreciate their leadership in this. Um, I am gonna be brief and leave time for questions. But I just want to say how honored I am to be on this bill because I do believe that all babies born and unborn have intrinsic dignity and worth and should be protected from the practice of eugenic abortion. Eugenics is defined as the practice of arranging reproduction within a human population. To increase the occurrence of heritable characteristics regarded as desirable eugenics has been used in attempts to systematically erase entire populations of human beings due to inherit characteristics such as ethnicity, race and, yes, disability. It's a tragedy that one that continues today. Tiny babies with Down syndrome are denied their right to life due to an extra chromosome. The U. S. Supreme Court has been zealous in in in vindicating the rights of people who are even potentially subjected to raise sex and disability discrimination. In fact, the inherent right against discrimination on the basis of race, sex and genetic abnormality is protected by federal and state laws. And I was shocked to find out over 70 of these precious babies to get a prenatal diagnosis of down syndrome. Never, never get a chance at life. Our state has a compelling interest to protect these Children from discriminatory eugenic abortion. What the bill does, It amends the statutes and it prohibits abortion unless a physician knows that the woman is not seeking this abortion because of any of the following the actual or presumed race or racial makeup of the unborn child. The sex of the unborn child is already, it's already in our statute. The presence are presumed presence of Down syndrome. Section 1B would actually um add whether the race sex or presence of in presumption of down syndrome and the on board child has been detective And um the doctor would have to report on that as he does. Or she does if there is um an abortion that's after 16 weeks gestation Science tells us that positive tests from a non invasive prenatal screening tests can be wrong. Almost 50 of the time, according to a recent study by New England Journal of Medicine. And mothers D. N. A. Can even alter these results. Life and death decisions are made on these results. We are missing so many miracles as my colleague, Representative Bradford says, these are not individuals with special needs. These are individuals with special abilities. nine states have already prohibited abortions motivated by a child's disability. Every single child bears the unmistakable imprint of our creator and is worthy of protection and support. I'll be happy to answer any questions but mr Speaker, could we get the other primaries to say a few words first? What purpose does the gentleman from? Mecklenburg represented? Bradford? Rise to speak on the bill. Gentlemen has the floor. Thank you. Mr Speaker members of the House. Um My comments will be probably repetitive for those of you that were in the committees that this bill has traveled, but for the others, I think it's worth noting that a few weeks ago uh the sixth U. S. Circuit Court Court of Appeals actually reversed a prior decision regarding a piece of legislation in the state of Ohio. Um that's uh basically similar to the piece of legislation were speaking about today. And the court released a statement on the ruling and they basically said that um that they thought Ohio's interest in passing the law as I would respectfully submit to use the same here for us in north Carolina. Was to protect the Down syndrome community from the stigma that it suffers from the practice of Down syndrome selective abortions. And it went on further to say to protect women who suspect Down syndrome from coerced abortions and to protect the medical community from an unethical doctors they wrote. So a few comments, my interest in this bill is unique to most certainly the Down syndrome community. Next Tuesday, I will have my fourth employee here is a legislator of an individual Down syndrome. His name is Matthew, you will see him with me, hopefully a lot of the time. Um, I have come to know individuals with Down syndrome as uh, not having disabilities but having very special abilities, which is what represent McElrath was speaking about and these are very capable, competent individuals who are ready and willing to work in our society. And this bill, I understand abortion is a very heated and partisan topic. This bill is very narrowly tailored to the issue of allowing a termination of a pregnancy strictly because of these three items and Down syndrome being one of them. And to me, the idea of terminating uh birth of a baby that never had a chance just because it has Down syndrome. And that would assume that all the screenings were positive and inaccurate, which isn't always the case by the way. Um, to me, just as heartbreaking because these individuals have so much to give our society. Um, I understand abortion is legal in our country, and so outside of the confines of these three items were not waiting into that. Um, you know, that said, um, I would just further submit to all of you that, um, this issue, I I get a lot of emails about it already from both sides and it's impassioned, and I would just encourage all of us to maintain the decorum that I know we can have here today. Um, but I support the bill, um, wholeheartedly because people like Matthew deserve to live, they deserve to have a chance. Um, and um, and I found it noteworthy that one of the disability advocacy groups came out against the bill and I I welcome all perspectives. I always have, I think that's what makes us good lawmakers when we can put ourselves in the other shoes on the other side or the other party or the other perspective. And I think the day we lose sight of that, we probably should get out of these seats. Um and and my only counter to their um notion that someone that this takes away from the real issue which is fighting for those with disabilities. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. I think we can fight for people who are alive who have disabilities, and I think we can be the voice for the babies who have been diagnosed with a disability Down syndrome before they ever have a shot at life. And that is why I'm on this bill. So I encourage you to consider it and vote your conscience. Huh? Thank you. For what purpose does the Lady from weight represented Von Hafen rise to speak on the bill. Lady has the four. Thank you Mr Speaker members. This bill does not address the needs of people needs of people with Down syndrome, nor does it really intend to end racial discrimination in north Carolina. Instead, this bill would prevent someone from obtaining an abortion if their doctor supposes or speculates that the reason behind their decision is because of the fetus race or diagnosis of Down syndrome disability rights. North Carolina opposes restrictions on the bodily autonomy of any person, especially in the name of supporting people with disabilities, forcing someone to carry a pregnancy to term against their will. Does absolutely nothing to address discrimination. This bill masquerades as policies supportive of members of the disability community, But actually, but instead of actually providing support for people who are differently abled, like ensuring adequate funding for Medicaid innovation waivers slots which currently has a 15,000 person wait list. The bill exploits abortion stigma and the general public's lack of knowledge in both abortion and pregnancy. It uses inflammatory and manipulative language to further erode pregnant people's bodily autonomy and our medical system. It creates more stigma and shame or on abortion care. And it targets people seeking abortion and the people providing abortion as unworthy of support or compassion. If we were truly authentic and our concern for people with disabilities, we would not co op the mantle of disability rights, but would instead focus on the true priorities of people with disabilities and their families, including ensuring access to healthcare, education, employment and economic security, as well as the ability to parent with dignity. People with disabilities, including those with Down syndrome have fought for decades against laws restricting their bodily autonomy, their right to do what they choose, go where they want, make their own decisions and be who they want to be. We can and should accomplish all of those things without restricting anyone's right to make decisions about their own bodies. I hope you will take this into consideration and join me in voting no on this bill. What purpose does the lady from Wilson represented, Cooper Suggs rise To speak on the bill. Mr. Speaker Lady has a four. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this bill is built on the premise that women of color, particularly black women seek abortions. On the basis are the per soon race of the fetus. This is false. Oppressive narrative that women of color cannot be trusted to make our own decisions guarding reproductive out reproductive rights. It also forces people of color to justify their decision to have an abortion to their doctor. This bill is part of a national effort to drive an inflammatory, misleading narrative about women who obtain abortions and the doctors who provide them. The rhetoric surrounding this bill is disrespectful and disingenuous. This law would do nothing to address the very real structural racism that that black and brown parents and Children face every day. To make matters worse, the sponsors have invoked the term eugenics in their justification for this bill. The use of this term. This debate is incredibly offensive and inappropriate. The eugenics movement was and and is about reproductive coercion. Not only would this bill, not in the practice of eugenics, but it is in reality an extension of this form of oppression. This bill is keeping us from doing the real work to end race discrimination in north Carolina. The sponsors of this bill, are neither working to address the maternal health disparities that black women face. No. Are they working to improve the quality of the life of black Children while we waste time and taxpayer resources in an effort to control people's bodies and futures. Bills like the mom never act. Medicaid expansion and the healthy pregnancy act don't get the attention and votes that they deserve. I ask all of you to vote red on this bill. Thank you. What purpose jumper from Catawba represented Adams rise. Speak on the bill. Gentleman has the floor. This is eugenics. That's what it is. But just what you said and what I want you to do. I'd like to ask you to do this. Look up War against the week. Look on Amazon. It's a book. Edwin Black wrote it in 2012. It's about the eugenics movement at the turn of the century in the United States. It will set your hair on fire what we did. It was the science of the time that we would help, we would help you Darwin's theory along by using science to call the unfit from our society in north Carolina. The eugenics movement began in the early 19 thirties. Actually was established. The Eugenics Board was established in 1932 ruled unconstitutional. Reformed in 1933 and it continued on until 1973. That practice in north Carolina was after the eugenics movement, which was a global movement had discovered what Hitler was doing in Germany and they had cooled off. They had subsided, but not in north Carolina. We picked it up and we used it in north Carolina for 40 years. I can't I can't tell you how horrifying it is to hear the thought of calling the Unborn because they don't suit our desires. I hope youll look that book up because Edwin Black wrote the book War Against the Week because he wrote a previous book, which was IBM and the holocaust. And when he was doing the research for that book in europe, he kept finding periodical periodicals about eugenics movement in the United States. But he couldn't find those periodicals in the United States. There were in europe, he started doing deeper research and what he found was that the whole thing had been buried. It's part of our history, we just don't know anything about. And he was shocked what he found and you'll be shocked at what you read that he wrote. What purpose does the gentleman from both represent? Kidwell Rice? Speak on a bill. Gentleman has the floor. Thank you Mr Speaker. When we take into consideration, Children who are terminated in pregnancy due to Down syndrome or really any other reason uh, what I ask you to remember if if you are a God fearing God believing person is to look at many different versions of the bible where they all say the same thing before I formed you in the womb. I knew you before you were born. I set you apart. God created each and every one of us and put us in the wound. It continues to tell me in the bible that he knew who I would be before I was ever formed in the wound, each and every one of us. If you're not a God believing person, that's not gonna help us any here today. Because you feel that that child in the wound is not worth that much more than a deer out in the field that I go hunting for in the fall. Because you're willing to terminate that child when we do it due to Down syndrome many times. That's a misdiagnosis many, many times I've heard over and over in the 20 plus years that I have personally worked with crisis pregnancy centers where the woman was told that her child had Down syndrome. Sometimes they were right many times they were wrong. My own sister was told when she was pregnant with her daughter, that the child would not survive and it might even kill her, that she should have an abortion as soon as possible, that she had an ectopic pregnancy. Elizabeth Woolard. Today is 35 years old. Born, today is 35 years old, born perfectly healthy and the doctor said, you should have an abortion. Abortion is one of the plights of this world. We kill so many people every day and do it with so much impunity doesn't matter. It's just a chunk of flesh. Every child is worth everything. I hear so many times. If it saves one life, it's worth it. Why doesn't this apply when it comes to abortion? If it saves one life, it's worth it. The person who may have cured Covid within weeks may well have been aborted Somewhere in the last 50 years. The person to cure cancer, The person to do so many other things may have been summarily tossed in the trash because maybe they had down syndrome or maybe they weren't the sex, the right sex or it just wasn't a convenient time. Oftentimes you hear about the mother or the family, they can ill afford this child Right now, it's not the right time. It wasn't planned, they're not married. They have no means of support. Ladies and gentlemen, if we use that measure, jesus christ could have been terminated in an abortion because it wasn't the right time. They weren't married. That's a horrible thing. What we do, it is a sin. It is a blight on our society. I asked you to vote green on this bill for the purpose of the uh lady from weight represent Badcock Grass To debate the bill. He has four. Thank you mr speaker. Um, it's very disturbing to me when I hear my physician colleagues called coercive and so that's going to be the main focus of my comments today about the bill, really about the chilling effect that this bill would have on the absolutely have on the patient physician relationship. My words from my own self really can improve on those of north Carolina physicians who have dedicated their professional lives to the care of women and women during pregnancy. So I'm going to read comments from a letter that was written on behalf of the north Carolina Abyan O B G. Y. In society. Their concerns are shared by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the north Carolina Medical Society. And I quote while we appreciate the genuine concern many legislators may have about protecting Children with Down syndrome. Our experience as clinicians is that women and families facing the difficult decisions that can come with a prenatal down syndrome diagnosis require a great deal of counseling and support from their health care providers, families, clergy and many other members of their community. Unfortunately, house Bill 453 would prevent women from having open and honest conversations with their doctor about their challenges and medical complications. It could prevent doctors from being able to share critical information that can help women and their families make reproductive health decisions with the privacy and the dignity they deserve based on our clinical experience. We believe government restrictions and mandates like those included in this bill will undoubtedly make the process of these patients and their families experience considerably more difficult. In addition, it would make providing the best and most appropriate care to these women much more complicated, if not impossible, as healthcare providers. This legislation would severely impact our ability to provide the standard of care for patients who would be subject to this bill. They go on to state. Furthermore. In our view, the restrictions and House Bill 4 53 I presume that the decisions women with a prenatal down syndrome diagnosis face are straightforward and uncomplicated. In fact, Down syndrome often occurs with other complications that can impact a woman's health care decisions. The reality is that each mother and family facing these difficult decisions is different and the decisions they have for continuing or ending a pregnancy after a fatal diagnosis is detected are myriad and they conclude by saying Regarding the prohibitions on race selection and house Bill 4 53, we are not aware of any patient who ended a pregnancy on the basis of race. Rather, the decisions women make regarding their pregnancies are based on a wide range of personal experiences, beliefs, and health care choices, imposing restrictions based on one or two specific criteria will simply make what are already complex decisions even more difficult for many of our patients to navigate. It's very upsetting and dangerous for us as a group of 100 and 20 and r 50 colleagues across the hall to think that we can interject ourselves into the exam room between physicians and patients and make decisions for them that only they are capable of making given their personal circumstances. I urge you both as a legislator, As a family nurse practitioner, as a mother of two to vote no on this bill. Thank you. What purpose does the lady from Colbert's represented baker rice To speak to the bill? I'm glad he has the four. Thank you MR speaker and thank you members. Um, I want to go back to um, the comment about eugenics um, from my friend and representative cooper Suggs. The definition of eugenics comes from greek and it has come into being. So, the use of this word for this discussion is highly appropriate eugenics as defined as a set of beliefs and practices intended to improve the genetic quality of a population. So once again, this terminology is extremely important to this discussion and this bill is very limited to particular issues. This is not a bill on abortion in general, and I want to make that clear. This is about non discrimination. And as a physician and child psychiatrist, I have spent my career dedicated to advocating for the most vulnerable and I believe that we as a society are going to be judged on how well we protect those who may not or cannot speak up for themselves. And I would like to think that none of us here would deny the right to life to someone based on their sex, their gender or their disability. And so I thank you for your consideration and urge you to vote yes on this bill. For what purpose does the lady from johnson represented White Rice To speak to the bill? Please. Lady has the four. Thank you. I am I am in support of this bill, because the greatest physician of all said for thou hast possessed my reins. Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy ways. My substance was not here hit from the when I was made in secret and curiously walked, wrought in the lowest parts of the earth that I asked to see my substance, yet being unp perfect. And in that book, all my members were written, which is in continuous where fashion. When the ship, there was one of them. I am a health professional. I have been. Um, I avoided uh, in the days when abortions were first developed in our country legally, um, I was asked to coach and educate women on that option. As a person of faith. I chose not to do that. My job was threatened and I continued to oppose and did not do that For those who feel that that is okay. That is their personal decision. I do not try to put my faith on anyone else, but when you are in the womb and you have a diagnosis and you are not able to defend yourself, that is what this bill to me is about. It is our position and my position to defend those Children, those infants that are in the womb and cannot fight for themselves. Thank you for what purpose does The gentleman from union represented our price to speak to the bill, Johnson has four House Bill 4 53 I wanted to sponsor because I believe in the principles of what this bill stands for. This bill prevents modern day eugenics that eliminates people before birth because of their race or disability from Down syndrome, overwhelming numbers of north Carolina citizens oppose abortion because the child will be born with Down syndrome, and that's the majority held across all demographics. The definition is given in the American Medical Association's journal Ethics and one of their articles says this eugenics defined here as practices and policies designed to promote the reproduction of people with desired attributes and thus avert the reproduction of people with undesirable attributes. For example, people with disabilities. The idea that the world and the people in it would be better off if everyone were born healthy that is without defect is the essential principle of eugenics, translated literally as well. Born from playing player Hood's own article um quoted and subject called Singer and eugenics, they define eugenics as eugenics is a theory of improving hereditary qualities by socially controlling human reproduction. With Margaret Sanger, North Carolina has sustained and horrible history in participating in eugenics. Why should we allow north Carolina to continue discriminatory eugenics that eliminates Children before birth because of race sex or Down syndrome? Haven't we learned how terrible it is for the state to participate or even allow modern day eugenics to eliminate people before birth because of their race and disability from Down syndrome. Reprehensible eugenics does not stop at the forced sterilization of women, but must also extend to the abortion of Children because they have down syndrome or of a certain race. We're here discussing this issue today because of the amazing advances we've had in recent years in the area of prenatal genetic testing. Because of these technological advances. It is possible through very simple blood test to tell the sex of a baby and whether the they might have Down syndrome. We must decide whether we should allow these results to be used in a way that's discriminatory to literally eliminate people on the basis of their sex, their race or disability. We do not want to be that kind of society that not only discriminates but disposes of Children because of the way they are created North Carolina citizens don't want to be that kind of society either. In fact, it was actually the youngest respondents in the recent poll, the millennials and Gen Z. S, who were the most likely to oppose the discriminatory down syndrome abortions. Even a majority of people who identified as pro choice were against Down syndrome abortions. And this time we are so divided as a society on so many other issues. We are in agreement on this because we all know it's wrong. We know discrimination is wrong. We know you can't use this technology to discriminate in this truly horrendous way. House Bill 4 53 prohibits the doctor from performing an abortion if the doctor knows that the woman's reason is that she does not want a child with Down syndrome. As what's discussed. There were several reasons for this at the interrelated, but I did want to speak to one particular one about the course of nations of this. It's indisputable that a number of medical professionals have advocated for Down syndrome abortions, As it states in the recent 6th circuit decision. Academic literature confirms such practices within the United States Medical Community, including examples of health professionals who gave family inaccurate and overly negative information, perceive obliquely intended to coerce a woman into a decision to terminate her pregnancy. If the foetus is diagnosed with Down syndrome, that's in the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, I will tell you that this issue his interest incredibly important because Down syndrome is a variable condition. The prognosis of people with the condition remains unclear. And this Journal of the American Medical Association Journal of accent, goes on to say this means that if a pregnant woman receives a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, quote, she is unlikely to receive information about the level of physical and cognitive impairment. A child would have diagnostic test even at their most accurate for conditions like Down syndrome. Only tell pregnant women if the fetus is does or does not have the specific chromosome marker, they do not tell women about the severity or the breath of impairments that may follow one fetus with a diagnosis of Down syndrome could not survive pregnancy, while another child born with with the condition could graduate from college. It is this complexity and variability interesting, which means that some people, including health professionals, can hold ambiguous views and express various anxieties about prenatal screening and testing for Down syndrome with some citing this uncertainty when claiming that screening could perhaps be considered eugenic practices end, quote ladies and gentlemen, we can't escape the fact that when the a woman's choice to abort her child because they know the child has Down syndrome or suspected to have down strom Rome, it eliminates the child in a discriminatory way. Our laws on discrimination prevent that. I ask for your support on passing this bill. What purposely from weight represented Badcock rights to debate the bill a second time. Glad He has four. Thank you. I just cannot sit here and here. My physician colleagues called coercive to be told that they make judgments about their patients and their patients healthcare decisions when that is not their job and that is not their calling. I want to share with you some additional comments from the letter that was sent to all of us from physicians who do this for a living. This bill would discourage patients from communicating fully with us about their health care needs and priorities. A physician's role is to provide the information or patients need to make informed decisions, not whether you like that information, not whether you even wish to say it, but because that patient deserves it. Those were my words. A prenatal fetal diagnosis can have a range of effects, and it is important for families to have all questions answered to the extent possible, not just the ones the doctor wishes to answer, not just the ones the patient may think to ask, but all questions should be answered. Doctors have the responsibility to provide information. Women need to make informed decisions, including all the options available to her family, then support her and what she decides is best for herself based on her values, creed, belief system and assessment of the best course for her family. HB453 would require physicians as providers to attempt to discern the basis for our patients health care choices to determine whether those decisions are consistent with the provisions of this legislation and to determine whether we as healthcare providers should or can recommend a particular course of treatment. And in closing, I would just like to say that even though some of the folks who have spoken today have said this issue is not about a abortion in its total in its totality, it's only about these certain things when you start going in and nipping and tucking about the right of a woman to have a safe and legal procedure, which is what abortion is. You are going to the heart of the matter of abortion. Thank you. What purpose the gentleman from national isn't Galya address to debate the bill. Gentlemen has before. Thank you. Mr. Speaker. Ladies and gentlemen of the House when I was first elected got a handwritten note from someone that was formerly in the General Assembly has also served as secretary of Commerce. And he said, man, congratulations on your election. One of the best things about being in the General Assembly of the People you're gonna meet, you're gonna meet some of the finest people. There'll be life long friends. He was right. People I caucused with the people that I talked with already considered them lifelong friends. And then he said the worst part of being in General Assembly is it every once in a while you're going to have that conscious vote. You're gonna have that vote that you're gonna have to vote for. And you know, the bill stinks. But your conscience won't let you vote. No, that's the bill I'm looking at right now. I'm looking at this bill. That's just a bad bill. But my conscience as a pastor won't let me vote against it. But it's a bad bill. First of all, it is the height of insensitivity to label it eugenics, the the doctrine that nazis used to justify slaughtering jews. And you want to label a bill that eugenics, the very practice that's used not to keep women, not to abort babies, but the practice that's used to keep african american women from even having Children. Your solution to poverty sterilization. Oh, and by the way, I think this is the same legislature that suddenly is talking about history, the history of eugenics, the history of what we've done in north Carolina, the history that has happened relative to race in our country. And yet the same legislature says, oh, let us not dare teach kids that history. What hypocrisy. What a height of insensitivity to people of color. That this brings us back to the human Betterment League at that moment. You remember that my history buffs the human Betterment League where black people were called morons, where poor people were told they were not worthy of being able to be a parent. This bill is bad first of all because of the titling of it. Eugenics, life is precious. Every single person in this chamber I believe believes life is precious. An abortion is tragic. And I don't think there's anyone on this chamber floor that doesn't think abortion is tragic. What must a woman be struggling with to go through that moment of choice to be able to end of life? And it seems like no matter how long we're here every session, the dashboard is gonna light up like a christmas tree at christmas time with new legislation. That's not really about good legislation. It's about power. It's about politics. It's about manipulation. It's about division. And here we are. Another one of those bills as a pastor. I've held babies a month old while they took their last breath. I've counseled couples in the ICU while the doctor excavated their child and while they had to breathe for the child because they knew the child wasn't gonna breathe anymore. I've watched doctors who are heroic, who do everything possible that technology allows them to do to be able to keep a baby alive. And then every once in a while in the midst of that moment, the doctor has to look at those parents and say that maybe just maybe comfort and compassion is going to be best for your child. And the problem with these abortion bills, every single one of them is that we assume every situation is the same and every situation is not the same. So to be clear, this is not about life, this is not about racial equity. This is not about disability rights. This is a divide and conquer bill, that this is a bill of desperation. This is a bill that says the only chance we've got to hold on to power is to divide people after all, isn't that the playbook? Let's divide everybody pro life, pro choice. Let's divide everybody. Black and white. Let's divide everybody. Black lives. Blue lives. Let's divide everybody. Conservative, Liberal patriot, progressive. So here we are playing out the playbook labels divide us. And this is the irony of this bill. The irony of this bill is that most of the people who think this is a good bill wouldn't even wear a mask to protect people's lives. This is the irony of this bill. The irony of this bill is that most of the people who will vote for this bill, most of them I have no value representing the gentleman, will refrain from disparaging other members of this Assembly of the gentleman will yield before. Yes, Mr Speaker. Every time we protect life in the womb and failed to pass legislation that protects life in the world, then we are failing the life in the womb embedded in this bill. Somewhere is a baby. This baby somewhere is in this bill, and eventually this baby will leave the wound. And this baby, according to this bill, will wind up in the world. And when this baby winds up in the world, if it's a girl, guess what? She's gonna wind up living in a state that won't even pass an equal rights amendment, this baby that's embedded in this bill when she is finally born, When she finally winds up going to school, guess what? She's going to go to a segregated school, you know why? Because we have economic segregation in our public school systems. And then, as Speaker pointed out what purpose of gentleman from Wayne represented Bell Rice. Gentlemen, keep his remarks on the build at hand. Not hypothetically situations that Mr Mr Speaker, the builders about life if the baby's gonna live, they're going to have a life. So chair is going to rule on this. Now. This is um this is a bill having to do with ah when abortion abortion is allowed or not allowed. It doesn't have to do with other things the chairs, given the given the gentleman a good bit of leeway, but has to bring in about the bill, how to try to avoid other things. I know the gentleman's emotional about this, but let's try to bring it in about the bill, please. There is a link mr Speaker. There is a link between abortion and poverty. When this child is born, they're going to join the ranks of the one in five Children that are already living in poverty. I'm a whole life democrat. I value every life life in the womb, a child that is an immigrant person on death row, a pregnant woman, a veteran trying to get medication. Every member of the LGBTQ community. At what point do we say As a general assembly? We value every human life according to this bill, we see a black baby, that's a full human life. But when this black baby becomes a black man that's chased by a cop, it no longer has a full human life. This baby is gonna grow. Mr. Speaker point represented Gallion this the gentleman will retain his remarks to the to the issue at hand, or or the chair will take the floor from the gentleman's. Every human life deserves to be treated with dignity. What I would hope that we will find a way to legislate to protect the right of women to choose and the right of unborn fetuses. We need to do everything we can to offer real choices to women, adoption, financial support, better health care. My colleagues have quoted the bible, I'm somewhat trained to do that is God pro choice or pro life. Do that around me. Chapter 30. Place before you, life and death choose life. The reality of it is we should not be wondering if God is on our side, we should be seeking to be on God's side. Something is nothing is wrong. We're protecting unborn lives, but something is wrong with not fixing our healthcare system. Something is wrong with ignoring systemic racism. Something is wrong with denying economic empowerment to all families. So this is a bad bill and I hope eventually we can protect all lives for what purpose does the chair's got was gonna allow represented Michael raft, who's the bill's sponsor to speak as a final speaker. So chair does not intend to recognize anybody else unless I see a light right now. All right with that lady from carteret represent Macau after is recognized to speak on the bill a second time. Then we're gonna vote. Oh, sorry, huh? That's exhausting. I just want you to know that I love all of you. There is no racism in my heart are no search for power. I do this where people like Jaden Jane's a nine year old was that each of our committing meetings and yesterday in Judiciary one, she says while she listened to the debate on both sides and she wrote out a note which I would like to close with today to read to you and let you know this is what this is about. This is about these special Children who brings so much joy to their families, to the community, to their classmates. This is about giving them a chance to live to the 60 years. They can live to please listen to Jaden. My name is Jaden and I have Down syndrome and I know in my heart that I am God's child and I love my life. I'd like to tell people about what I can do. I could draw play piano and I can do all the things you can do. I like math, reading, spelling and grammar. I like swimming and my favorite stroke is first stroke. Thank you. This is what this is about. Question for the Houses. The passage of House Bill 4 53 on its second reading. Those in favor will vote, aye. Those opposed to vote no. The cork will open the vote. Representative movement on the floor Corker Lock Machine record the votes 67 having voted in the affirmative and 42 the negative. House Bill 4 53 passes at second reading without objection will be read a third time General Similar nor Climate Act. Question for the House passage of House Bill 4 53 on third reading. Those in favor will say hi, I suppose now. Yes. Abbott, House Bill 4 53 having passed third reading will be sent to the Senate.

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