News release from Congressman Marlin Stutzman (R-IN 3rd):
Stutzman Continues to Stand for Life
After pro-life bill fails to pass House, Stutzman looks ahead(Washington, D.C., August 1, 2012) – Congressman Marlin Stutzman (IN-03) issued the following statement on the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which failed to pass the House last night.
“As a parent and a legislator, I believe that protecting the sanctity of human life is a matter of first principles,” said Stutzman. “Tragically, abortion cheapens human life and undermines our foundational values. In our nation’s capital, which ought to be a city on a hill, abortions are performed through all nine months of pregnancy. Last night, I was deeply disappointed that the House failed to pass a common sense measure to prevent the destruction of unborn children who are able to feel pain. Back home in Indiana, I helped begin the long work on our state’s fetal pain law and I will continue that same pro-life work here in Washington.”
The District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act echoes medical evidence that unborn children can experience pain from about 20 weeks after fertilization. The bill would prevent clinics in the District of Columbia from aborting pain-capable children except in cases to save the life of the mother. Although a majority of the House voted in favor of the bill by a vote of 220-154-2, it failed to pass the two-thirds majority required.
Congressman Stutzman represents the 3rd Congressional District of Indiana and serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, the House Committee on the Budget and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. Indiana’s 3rd District contains all of DeKalb, Kosciusko, Lagrange, Noble, Steuben, and Whitley counties, as well as parts of Allen and Elkhart counties.