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Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2006

Date: Dec. 8, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Abortion Health and Health Care Arts, Entertainment, and History


UNBORN CHILD PAIN AWARENESS ACT OF 2006 -- (Extensions of Remarks - December 08, 2006)

* Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 6099.

* H.R. 6099 is an extreme intrusion into the relationship between a woman and her doctor. Rather than improving informed consent as the authors claim, this legislation would put into federal law inflammatory rhetoric that has not been proven to be fact.

* In 2004 a federal district court found that there is ``no consensus of medical opinion'' on the issue of fetal pain. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, it is highly improbable that a fetus could feel pain before the third trimester. In addition, studies conducted by JAMA on this issue showed that additional anesthesia, as is proposed in this bill, poses increased risk to a woman's health.

* Yet this bill would force health care providers to tell patients seeking an abortion that there is ``substantial evidence'' regarding fetal pain and force them to offer anesthesia for the fetus. It would also force the patient to sign a statement to prove she understood that information.

* H.R. 6099, if passed, would actually require a medical professional, under federal law, to give women inaccurate and potentially harmful information. This law makes no exceptions for individual patient circumstances or a doctor's judgment of medical necessity. And if a doctor does not provide this information, he or she will face civil sanctions.

* Our health care system--the best in the world by many measures--depends on the quality of our health care providers and their ability to communicate with and care for their patients. It is outrageous for Congress to remove the discretion of doctors and instead, rely on politics to make medical decisions. This legislation is based on inaccurate information and political motivation and should be rejected.

* I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing H.R. 6099 today and in working to improve health care for all Americans in the 110th Congress.

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