Nifla V. Becerra

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Maryland for his leadership and my friend from California on this.

Mr. Speaker, I can't think of anything that is more important than what we are talking about here in Washington. There are three critical foundations which our Nation was built upon: the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and the right to life.

Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and our third President, said: ``No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority.''

What he means by civil authority is government.

Mr. Speaker, as I stand here today in the well of the House Chamber, Americans' freedom of conscience and our right to life is, once again, under attack, and this time in California. This law at issue in California is a classic example of government using its power to force citizens to promote messages that conflict with their personal beliefs.

Pro-life pregnancy centers are a valuable asset to women, to men, to the families, and certainly to those babies. Not only around the country but certainly in Michigan, these centers provide, at no charge, practical advice and resources, information, emotional support for expecting mothers and those fathers and families in need. As leaders of this Nation, we should be offering support, resources, and praises for their efforts, not forcibly targeting these PRCs with unconstitutional government mandates.

Through the work of my wife, Natalie, who served for a number of years on the board of a local pregnancy resource center in west Michigan, I have seen firsthand the overwhelming positive impact that they have on the community. My sister-in-law still serves on that board. This is real impact in real lives, to women and certainly to their babies.

Now, maybe even more importantly, even after that baby is born, these resource centers will oftentimes provide care and clothing and education and emotional support. I know in my own church in west Michigan we regularly have those dresser drives where we fill a dresser for that pregnancy center, and we are providing those diapers and providing that formula. We are there to help those mothers make it through.

Well, the Federal Government should never force or attempt to coerce medical professionals, employers, or resource centers to perform or promote abortions against their beliefs. Our basic freedoms and founding principles were established to protect us from that exact sort of intimidation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to again thank my friends for leading this effort, but these pregnancy resource centers work. We know that. They offer compassionate care to those who need it the most and should be treasured by the government and not targeted by them.

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