[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 14, 2018)] [House] [Pages H1588-H1595] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] NIFLA V. BECERRA The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. General Leave Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of my Special Order. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Maryland? There was no objection. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, next Tuesday, March 20, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for the case NIFLA v. Becerra. At issue is a California law that requires medically licensed pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise for and to promote the abortion industry by posting notices alerting clients that the State of California provides free or low-cost abortions. [[Page H1589]] This law blatantly violates the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. The government may never compel anyone, including pregnancy centers, to make statements with which they disagree. This is clearly and blatantly unconstitutional, and courts across the Nation agree. When abortionists sought to compel the speech of pregnancy centers in other jurisdictions, their laws were not allowed to stand. In fact, in 2009, in my home State of Maryland, a Baltimore city ordinance required pregnancy centers to post signs in their waiting rooms stating that they do not refer for abortions. This January, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that this law is unconstitutional. Judge Wilkinson said that the ordinance compels ``a politically and religiously motivated group to convey a message fundamentally at odds with its core belief and its mission.'' Similar laws have been tried in Austin, Texas; Montgomery County, Maryland; and New York City. These laws, too, have been partially or fully invalidated. Even the California law in question has already been found to violate freedom of speech. While the Federal case was advancing to the Supreme Court, a parallel track was being pursued at the State level. In October of last year, Judge Gloria Trask found that the law violated article I, section 2 of the California Constitution. In fact, she granted an injunction that prevents California from enforcing the law. She said the ``speech required by the FACT Act is unquestionably compelled and content based.'' It forces the clinic to point the way to the abortion clinic and can leave patients with the belief that they were referred to an abortion clinic provider by that pro-life pregnancy center. {time} 1815 Now, instead of seeking to silence pro-life pregnancy centers, people in every community should celebrate and support their work. They provide vital free or low-cost care to vulnerable women and children. So today we are here to talk about how pro-life pregnancy centers help mothers in our communities, giving them real choice. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), who organized this Special Order with me, for comments he might make. Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I am proud and pleased to join with Dr. Harris in this effort. Now, at this point, 130 of our colleagues have signed on to the petition to the Supreme Court to let them know that we believe this is morally wrong. What we have: Again, as a California legislator, I have experience with the efforts our State legislators have done in the past and currently with Assembly Bill 775, which is known as the Reproductive FACT Act--fact, indeed--as Dr. Harris mentioned, requiring licensed medical centers that offer free pro-life help to pregnant women to then have to post written advertisements promoting the availability of free or low-cost abortions subsidized by the State of California. It also requires nonmedically licensed centers to note, in multiple languages, that they do not have a medical provider on staff, which is kind of interesting due to the places that provide abortions having lower standards for medical care and standards for the doctors on staff to have to be overseen. It is very interesting, the double standard for that type of healthcare, as you would call it, versus other healthcare centers at abortion clinics. Yet they want to point out that there wouldn't be a medical provider on staff at these pro-life places, which aren't required to have them anyhow. So the court will consider whether these disclosures required by the Reproductive FACT Act, by the California Legislature, violate the free speech clause of the First Amendment. Indeed, it is a blatant violation. The government has no business forcing private citizens or anyone else to promote an ideology that violates their beliefs. The whole purpose of these pregnancy centers is to provide free pro- life help to prospective mothers, not to serve as a billboard for abortions. If anyone needed further proof of the moral degradation in California's State government, this is exhibit A. The Supreme Court must set a precedent, as lower courts have already done, as Dr. Harris mentioned. They must set a precedent that we will not watch, we will not stand by and watch as California's liberal elites bully anyone into giving up their constitutionally protected freedoms under the First Amendment. Indeed, I want to thank Dr. Harris and all of the rest of my colleagues you will hear from here tonight for standing up on this issue, helping to not only bail out California's irresponsibility, but, more importantly, to stand up for the rights of people who are trying to save lives and provide positive counseling to those who find themselves in crisis. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Harris for this Special Order. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for his comments. Mr. Speaker, we need to remind people that these pro-life pregnancy centers are private entities. They run on private donations. They provide services at no charge to these mothers. In some pregnancy centers--a lot of them, for instance--they will have a room that is just full of supplies, supplies to help a mother, to help a mother in a crisis pregnancy get through the pregnancy, take care of that child, and to give that child the very precious gift of life. Mr. Speaker, I would next yield to the gentleman from Michigan for comments he might make on the importance of pregnancy centers. While he is getting to the microphone, let me just tell you a story that one of the pregnancy crisis centers told me. Again, these are centers that frequently now provide ultrasound exams. And they tell me the story of a woman who called the helpline seeking an abortion, actually. She called the pregnancy center helpline. She knew very little about the emotional, physical, or spiritual repercussions of the choice she was considering. She felt alone, told by her boyfriend to ``get rid of it'' or he was gone. But the pregnancy center gave her a choice. They scheduled an appointment. She came for the appointment. And after seeing her 9-week- old baby's heartbeat and it move about playfully in her womb, she decided to give this child the gift of life. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga). 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. [[Page H1590]] 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. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his comments. He brings up a good point. These pregnancy centers don't only help mothers and give them choices; they actually help the fathers as well. A lot of times these fathers just don't know what fatherhood will be like, and they mentor these fathers and, again, begin to give that couple the ability to create a loving household for that child. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) to also speak on this topic. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of pro-life pregnancy centers, not only in the Fourth District of Arkansas but all across our country. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland, Dr. Harris, and my colleague Mr. LaMalfa from California for hosting this important time so that we can come together and talk about the great work that these crisis pregnancy centers do. In my hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1988, a crisis pregnancy center was formed to assist young parents and to protect innocent lives. In the last 30 years, Change Point Pregnancy Center has saved the lives of 2,821 babies by offering and advocating for alternatives to abortion. This center is comprised of compassionate volunteers and staff who invest significant time and energy in our posterity, making a positive difference for our future. Mr. Speaker, I know firsthand the quality of these volunteers because my own mother was one of them in the early years of the crisis pregnancy center, when it was just getting off the ground. In addition to free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds, Change Point offers diapers, wipes, and formula through their Earn While You Learn program, which offers supplies to families who attend parenting classes at the center. Families and churches like mine have been vital in supporting Change Point Pregnancy Center, not only by volunteering but also by donating supplies and baby bottles full of change to help fund the center. Change Point has taught more than 10,000 classes for both mothers and fathers. As Mr. Harris mentioned, these centers are not only for mothers, but they also help fathers and they help parents and families. They give families the tools to succeed rather than the stigma that burdens them. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support Change Point in their continued mission to provide care and support to families in the Fourth District of Arkansas, and I applaud these centers not only from my home State but all across the country for the great work that they are doing. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arkansas for those words in support of these pro-life pregnancy centers. Tonight we are going to hear, during this hour, from some of the real leaders of the pro-life movement; but, in this case, we should really call this the pro-choice movement because that is what these pregnancy centers actually do: they give women a real choice. A lot of women who come to these pregnancy centers, of course, are pressured or expect that they can't bring these pregnancies to fulfillment, to the birth of a new life. And these pregnancy centers give them the choice to do that. They provide the resources, the support, the mentoring, the prayers that these difficult pregnancies need. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King), a pro- life leader, to speak about these crisis pregnancy centers. Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Harris for leading on this Special Order here this evening and appreciate the opportunity to be recognized. There are a number of things that I would point out. For starters, I chair the Constitution Committee for a reason, and the delivery by Mr. LaMalfa on California's horrible Reproductive FACT Act law--it is not facts, by the way, but it forces pro-life pregnancy centers to provide free advertising for the abortion industry. I don't think there is any question, if you coerce people to advertise for something that, in the first place, is immoral and directly runs against the convictions of the people who are volunteering their time and those who are contributing their resources to bring about a crisis pregnancy center, which is driven by the hearts of the pro-life community in America--I can hardly think of anything more important than having that happen. Now, freedom of speech is one thing. You can't limit speech. But for a State to impose speech, that is another level. That goes beyond. That is beyond the pale of the constitutional First Amendment rights. So as I think about crisis pregnancy centers and what it matters and how it matters to me and the district that I represent: Not long after I was elected to Congress, I went to Gabriel's Corner in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I walked in there, a crisis pregnancy center, a building that was built in what was an empty lot across the street from Planned Parenthood's abortion center. As I walked in there, they had a big picture window they had set up and a kneeler there so that you could be there to look out through that window and pray for those mothers who were going into the Planned Parenthood. And they said to me in that briefing that if a mother was able to have a 4D ultrasound then--this would be about, say, 13, 14 years ago-- that 70 percent of the mothers would decide, once they had seen the ultrasound, to keep the baby. As we walked through there, we finished the tour, and I said: Where is your ultrasound? They said: Well, we don't have one. I said: Why not? They said: We can't afford it. They told me the price on it then was $100,000 for a refurbished ultrasound. I said: Let's raise the money for the ultrasound so that you can save 70 percent of the lives of the babies who come in here because of their mother. So we set about the fundraising effort. I hardly got started and an anonymous benefactor showed up and said: Why are you waiting? Why don't you have the ultrasound? {time} 1830 I answered: We're raising the money. He said: Well, go buy the ultrasound, but don't tell anybody who I am. So he wanted to be an anonymous benefactor. We did that; set up the ultrasound. The annual dinner for Gabriel's Corner, the first little baby that was saved by Gabriel's Corner that we knew was brought along to that dinner. And I looked back in that dinner and there was that man sitting in the table clear back at the end, not talking to anybody, but watching. Wow. I have never forgotten what that meant. Another occasion, an individual came to me and he said: I'm in between careers. I need something to do. As we discussed this, it came to the foundational idea to establish Mary's Choice in Sioux City, Iowa. They went ahead with that, a Catholic pregnancy center, a crisis pregnancy center. As they followed through, they built that next to--or they developed it next to Planned Parenthood's abortion clinic. Planned Parenthood couldn't stand the guilt of people praying for them, so they built a big fence, thinking that was going to block the prayers. Well, I think it attracted them instead. The last time I was there, I had my picture taken in front of the Planned Parenthood center in Sioux City. There is a Century 21 real estate sign in front of there, and you can't read ``Planned Parenthood of the Heartland'' any [[Page H1591]] longer on there except in the glue, where they pulled the sign off. It is for sale, or may be sold by now. Progress has been made, lives have been saved. The respect for innocent, unborn human life has grown. And to muzzle them, or force a speech, not just limiting their freedom of speech, but forcing speech-- so I just looked at my iPhone here, and there are a number of ultrasounds that have been texted to me. I am kind of like, I guess I would say, the number one proponent of procreation in Congress, as far as I know. Here is one. It says: ``Baby looked good yesterday. Moving like crazy on the ultrasound.'' I answer: ``This is so beautiful. I'll keep my prayers going. This ultrasound is an answer to them. God's blessings.'' Next ultrasound comes along. This is dated just last Friday. I sent back: ``What is the heartbeat rate for this perfect little miracle?'' She answers: ``161 beats per minute.'' And then I say: ``Purring along like a finely-tuned racing motor, that little miracle.'' ``Yes, and she's moving all around'' is the answer. And here is the conclusion of this. I just think this is so important to implant this in our memory. She answered this way, this mother: ``These ultrasounds are amazing. Watching her stretch and cross her legs, curl up her hand, suck her thumb. At 19 weeks, I can't imagine anyone contemplating abortion would proceed with it after seeing that in their own little baby.'' That little baby is my little granddaughter, and I am going to stand up for life so long as I live. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa for those touching comments. Again, this is about giving mothers choices. You know, one has to ask the question: Why in the world don't abortion clinics show ultrasounds? What are they afraid of? Are they afraid of giving a woman a real choice, of actually seeing that baby, of denying the fact that it is not a blob of tissue, it is actually a baby with a heartbeat? It is a baby that moves. It is your child. But they don't get that choice in an abortion clinic. They get it at a crisis pregnancy center. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington) for his remarks. Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland, Dr. Harris, for his leadership on the most sacred of issues. Mr. Speaker, in the shadow of over 60 million precious American lives aborted in the United States, there is light. This light shines through the roughly 2,000 pro-life pregnancy centers in communities across our Nation, including mine in west Texas. These pregnancy centers are dedicated to serving 2.3 million women a year. That is 6,500 a day. Because of their good work, providing ultrasounds, medical services, and parenting classes, and even ministering to their deeper emotional and spiritual needs, these pregnancy centers save lives, hundreds of thousands of lives. You see, Mr. Speaker, they believe, like a lot of us do, that all life is a gift from God and deserves their constitutional right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But now these pro-life pregnancy centers in California are being forced by law to advertise in a way that goes directly against their mission and, more importantly, their conscience. The State of California mandates that these pregnancy centers disclose how patients can obtain a State-sponsored abortion. California, in my opinion, is abusing the power of the State to force people to post messages they do not believe in and which violate their conscience. Government coercion of speech or conduct that violates the religious conscience of an individual is in direct violation of the First Amendment. The Founders intentionally listed the right to freely express our religious beliefs first because they recognized the vital role faith in God plays in cultivating a moral foundation necessary for this democratic society. While this inherent right to religious expression is being undermined, the Constitution could not be clearer on this question. I am confident the Supreme Court will uphold this sacred right against the heavy hand of government coercion. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for those comments. He is absolutely right. No matter where you stand on the issue of abortion, you should stand with the First Amendment on the right of an individual not to have their speech compelled by the government; and that is what at stake in this court case. I want to just thank God that we have a President who understands the importance of these constitutional bases, and one who, I believe, will nominate Justices to the Supreme Court who will continue to uphold the First Amendment and the other amendments to the Constitution. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler), a pro-life leader in the House of Representatives. Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and Representative LaMalfa for hosting tonight's Special Order to draw attention to the wonderful benefits of crisis pregnancy centers. I would like to share the story of two women. Summer is a smart 17- year-old who is in love with her first love, John. Although their parents are concerned about how serious they have gotten, they spend as much time together as possible. They soon find out that their college plans are in jeopardy when they discover that they are pregnant. Tanya is a 40-year-old single mom with three kids. She works at a local restaurant as a server, and she gets by with the help of Federal welfare programs. She has been seeing Sam off and on for the past several months, but they recently broke up. Now she finds out that she is pregnant. She can't handle one more mouth to feed. Abortion seems to be the only option. Summer's and Tanya's situations are different, yet they both can find help and hope through their local crisis pregnancy centers. Like over 2.3 million women and men across America, they can receive pregnancy tests; ultrasounds; parenting classes; and other basic necessities, such as maternity and baby clothing, through these centers. These vital centers are making a huge difference for so many. Pregnancy care centers provide a safe haven for women in crisis. In other words, they provide a safe haven for pregnant moms who need love and support as they welcome their babies into the world. There are more than 2,300 pregnancy care centers throughout America. Some of these clinics provide medical care, housing for expectant moms and their children, and adoption referrals. I am thankful for the Shiloh Center in Harrisonville, Missouri, my hometown. The Shiloh Center welcomes moms in difficult circumstances, offering hope and help, enabling each mother to choose life for her baby. Like many other centers, the Shiloh Center provides free pregnancy testing, ultrasound services, counseling, and educational resources. The Shiloh Center also provides prenatal care for pregnant moms, and ensures that new moms are equipped with baby clothes, diapers, and formula for their little ones. There are thousands of these centers across America. I would like to highlight the wonderful pregnancy care centers in my district: Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center in Warsaw, Missouri; My Life Clinic in Columbia, Missouri; Pregnancy Health Center Lake of the Ozarks in Camdenton, Missouri; Door of Hope Pregnancy Center in Clinton, Missouri; New Beginnings Women's Center in Warrensburg, Missouri; Pregnancy Support Center in Lebanon, Missouri; Birthright of Sedalia in Sedalia, Missouri; Free Women's Center of Pulaski County in Waynesville, Missouri; Birthright of Moberly in Moberly, Missouri; Birthright of Nevada in Nevada, Missouri; and Choices Pregnancy Center in Marshfield, Missouri. I am grateful to each of these centers for the countless hours of community service and client care lovingly offered to women like Summer and Tanya and thousands in similar circumstances experiencing challenging life circumstances. They are bringing practical help and hope, and that is the best story of all. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler) for her comments. [[Page H1592]] Just to remind people, you know, there are things you find in a crisis pregnancy center you just don't find in your local Planned Parenthood. Almost all of them will have a room where donated clothing--clothing that, you know, most of it used. Yeah, that is the way it is. People who have had children, their children are grown. They will donate their clothing to a pregnancy center to help those mothers who need help, mothers who perhaps feel they can't financially afford to have a child because they have to buy clothing for a child, they have to buy diapers. These pregnancy centers give them a real choice. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), another pro-life leader in the House of Representatives. Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris) for leading this Special Order tonight and for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the life-affirming and lifesaving work done across the country by pro-life pregnancy centers. I have the privilege of representing the New Hope Pregnancy Compassion Care Center in Yadkinville, North Carolina; and I am proud to share the testimony of a young woman who perfectly encapsulates what these care centers do. She writes: ``The day I found out I was pregnant, I was very upset and didn't know what to do. I had so many different emotions and knew that it was going to be very hard, especially with me still being in college. I didn't know how I was going to tell my parents, my family, or my church. After having two positive pregnancy tests, I decided to go to Compassion Care Center. This was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. ``When I got there, I took another pregnancy test and it was positive. After that, I ended up having an ultrasound. After I seen my little baby on the ultrasound, I was lost for words. I had so many emotions and felt like I had no one. After my ultrasound, I ended up talking to a staff person about life and about this new baby. I told her how scared I was to tell my parents and how bad of a person I felt because of this. Even though this baby was not planned by me, God had planned it for me. She explained to me that even though I was still in college and still living at home, that she knew that I could do this and get through this. After we talked for a while about my life, the new baby, and religion, we prayed together. ``I ended up going home after that and telling my parents. It was very hard for them to cope with at first, but eventually they accepted it. I started going back to Compassion Care every week after that to take classes that offered videos about pregnancy and babies. Watching those videos helped me so much because it was a lot of new information that I did not know. ``I earned points every time that I came to watch these videos by watching them and doing homework sheets. The points I earned I could use to buy stuff in the store. The store had many different items that I could get. I got maternity clothes, baby clothes, diapers, wipes, and toys. These items helped me tremendously. ``Without Compassion Care offering these classes and items, I wouldn't have known what to do. I have learned so much stuff that I didn't know before and they have given me the best support. I absolutely love everyone there and appreciate everything that they have done for me. I just recently had my daughter, and she has become my entire life. ``I know one thing, though, if I would have not been involved with Compassion Care Center, I would not have been able to do this. They were a lifesaver and I cannot express enough how thankful I am that they were there for me every step of the way.'' Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for comments. Again, just reminding, as the gentlewoman said, these are centers that provide true resources to women at a time when they are very, very vulnerable. I can't imagine why a city council or a State legislature, or any jurisdiction, or any legislature would want to--what amounts to--close these centers down, because these are people who believe abortion is wrong. {time} 1845 They are not going to refer people for abortions. That is the bottom line. They will close their doors before they will send someone to something that they think is morally reprehensible, and the last thing the State should do is compel them to ever do that. Why we would want to close these centers down that are so vital to our communities is a puzzle to me. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse) for his comments. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the First Amendment free speech rights of pro-life pregnancy centers across the Nation. I want to thank my colleagues, Congressman Andy Harris as well as Congressman Doug LaMalfa, for leading this Special Order this evening. Mr. Speaker, our Declaration of Independence proclaims that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are God-given rights of all people. If we truly believe that, then we must be consistent that the right to life is inherent for every person, born or unborn. National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra is a case before the Supreme Court that centers on the right of free speech of pro-life licensed medical centers. Under California's State law, these centers are forced to violate their conscientious objections and post written advertisements for free or low-cost abortions subsidized by the State. I would ask: What could be more deeply offensive to any person who shares the strongly held belief that abortion takes innocent lives? I believe that this unjust law violates First Amendment protections under our Constitution, and the ramifications of this Court decision will be felt across the Nation. There are nearly a dozen crisis pregnancy centers in central Washington State, and most are in the Fourth Congressional District, which I represent. Life Choices Pregnancy Medical Center in Yakima, which I recently visited, is a pregnancy medical center that provides pregnancy testing, medical consultation, STD testing, and adoption referrals for expectant mothers. Crisis pregnancy centers exist to support mothers, fathers, and their children. Many provide free material resources for young families and ongoing parental support. These centers exist to further the progress and protection of innocent life. I signed onto the amicus brief supporting NIFLA with more than 140 colleagues because States do not have the right to force private individuals or entities to compel speech that violates their conscience. I am proud of the House of Representatives' work to protect the sanctity of life, such as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which I supported, to ensure that children who survive an abortion or an attempted abortion are given proper medical treatment. Today I stand with my colleagues to be a voice for the voiceless and to stand for the right of free speech of all who believe in the sanctity of life. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Washington for those comments. He points out that each of our districts have numerous pregnancy centers, usually. In fact, crisis pregnancy centers outnumber abortion clinics three to one. These are valuable resources in anyone's district, in any town, any county. What is at issue here is, if you had a nonprofit running a recreation center in your neighborhood and it provided resources to troubled teenagers after school, this would be like the State telling that recreation center, ``Do you know what? You have got to promote a certain religion in your recreation center,'' or, ``Do you know what? You have got to put out certain political pamphlets of one political party on your desk when people come in the door.'' We would be incensed with that. This is exactly what California is attempting to do with this law to these pro-life crisis pregnancy centers. With that, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams) for his comments. [[Page H1593]] Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Harris for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to recognize pro-life pregnancy centers and all the good they do for mothers and their unborn children. As a God-fearing father and grandfather, I have always believed that life begins at the moment of conception. No one should ever be forced to promote the abortion of an unborn baby against their will. Rather than protecting free speech, a constitutional right, the Federal Government is extorting speech by forcing these pregnancy centers to contradict their pro-life message. During my time in Congress, I have visited multiple pro-life pregnancy centers around the 25th District of Texas. In particular, I would like to highlight the Austin Pregnancy Resource Center and the Cleburne Pregnancy Center, both of which I have been to. These outstanding centers provide resources, information, and emotional support for those soon-to-be moms. They also provide after- care for moms and their baby, such as supplies, clothing, and education, as we previously heard. Women deserve to know there are better options than abortion and that there are facilities out there to help them. The bottom line, Americans and organizations should not be forced by the government to promote ideas that conflict with their beliefs. As a steadfast pro-life supporter, I will continue advocating for the rights of the unborn and the centers that fight for them. In God we trust. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas and, again, remind everyone that these are such valuable resources in their towns and their neighborhoods. I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson). One thing about Congress is we have people with all different areas of expertise, but on this particular issue, the gentleman from Louisiana brings particular expertise because of his background as a lawyer and one who has defended religious liberty in courtrooms here in the United States, protecting that very important right given to us in the First Amendment that is at issue, at issue in this California case. Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Harris for this time this evening and all of our strong colleagues who are standing with us today for the Constitution and for the sanctity of human life. You know, Psalm 127 says: Children are a heritage from the Lord, a reward from him. For most women, of course, finding out they are pregnant is certainly a beautiful moment in their life. Often, it is an answer to years of prayer. However, of course, there are times when the heavy responsibility of carrying a child can bring uncertainty. That is why the work of thousands of pro-life pregnancy centers throughout our Nation is so vital. Hundreds of thousands of women have sought the guidance and the services of these pregnancy centers nationwide, and they have been embraced and supported with unconditional love and care throughout their entire pregnancies. These centers serve the woman, the child, and their whole family. There are more than six pregnancy care centers in Louisiana's Fourth Congressional District--that is my district--from the Community Care Center, the Northwest Louisiana Crisis Pregnancy Center, and Mary's House in the northern part of our district to the Community Pregnancy Center, the New Life Crisis Pregnancy Center, and the Cenla Pregnancy Center in the southern part of our district. These centers work day in and day out to serve our communities. I know these folks well. They are selfless servants down in the trenches. Over the past two decades, I have provided pro bono legal services to almost all of these centers and many more around the country, and I have often defended their causes in court because I believe so very strongly in what they do: they save lives and they provide critical care, like performing ultrasounds and counseling services and parenting classes and so much more, and they do this at zero cost to the persons who are receiving these vital services. They also do it with zero Federal funding, by the way, and they save their clients and taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. As fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and friends, I think Members of Congress have to stand with these pregnancy care centers throughout our districts, and we ought to support these women and their children and their families, especially in times as precious as pregnancy when they need us most. As Dr. Harris mentioned, on March 20, my former colleagues at the Alliance Defending Freedom will stand before the U.S. Supreme Court, and they will argue on behalf of National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and its affiliated pregnancy centers in California. All of us ask and expect the High Court to protect the freedom of speech not just for pregnancy care centers, but for anyone who would be forced by the government to speak a message that contradicts their sincerely held beliefs. It is absolutely absurd for the State of California to try to force pro-life centers to provide information on abortion services. The outcome of this case could not only affect the freedom of speech for every American, it could save countless innocent lives. This is a pivotal moment in our Nation's history, and we pray the Court will uphold our fundamental liberty, the sanctity of every single human life, and the best of our American traditions. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana not only for those excellent remarks, but for bringing this kind of expertise to the House of Representatives. Now I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). Mr. Smith is a leader in protecting human rights around the world, from the U.S. House of Representatives, a leader in protecting life and, in this case, giving his remarks about how important pro-life pregnancy centers are to our Nation and our communities and how damaging this law would be. Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Harris for his leadership for many, many years. He is an extraordinary physician-- Johns Hopkins and so many other places where he has been an anesthesiologist, and we are so grateful for the expertise and precision that he brings. Doctors can focus in a way that makes it so clear and so nonambiguous. In defense of life, never has that message been more important than now because there is so much fuzziness, so much distortion, and it is about time clarity breaks out when it comes to the abortion issue. We have never had that national debate. In a way, we have had it in a minor way, in a micro way. Every time a woman goes in and has an ultrasound, she walks away seeing her baby still in utero. The first baby pictures today, as we all know, are not newborns. On the refrigerators all across America, the first baby pictures happen to be unborn babies, and we all are thrilled when we see our children and grandchildren up on the refrigerator as an unborn baby. That is the first thing they see as they begin to comprehend what they are looking at: ``That is me while I was still in Mommy.'' As Dr. Harris pointed out in his opening, the Supreme Court does take up this case next week, NIFLA v. Becerra, the California law that requires medically licensed pregnancy centers to advertise for the abortion industry by putting up notices. Telling clients where to get free and low-cost abortions is an egregious--an egregious--violation of the First Amendment Free Speech Clause. The government should not compel, should not coerce an organization or organizations and the people behind them to facilitate the dismemberment and chemical poisoning of unborn children, which is exactly what abortion is. The sophistry of choice cloaks the deed, and the deed is all about taking that child apart through dismemberment or through a chemical poison. Dr. Harris spoke earlier about ultrasounds. We know that when abortion is done, many types of abortions, they use an ultrasound. Ultrasound-guided abortions make it easier for them to dismember the child. And it was Abby Johnson who ran a clinic, was director of a clinic in Texas for about 8 years, a Planned Parenthood [[Page H1594]] clinic, who quit when she finally saw on that screen an ultrasound- guided abortion and was repelled and repulsed by how that child was being killed by a so-called physician. She was repulsed. She became a very strong pro-lifer since then. Let me say one thing about pregnancy care centers. There are about 2,752 in the country, according to Heartbeat International, and the numbers are growing. There are many in my district, like Dr. Harris said are in his as well. A few years ago, my wife and I went to a pregnancy care banquet in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Two women got up and spoke so eloquently and with tears in their eyes about how they were scheduled and actually en route to the abortion at the clinic, and there were these compassionate women, selfless women who said: Please reconsider. Please take a look at the alternatives. We will help you. Both of those women turned around, two different times, and went back and had their babies. With tears in their eyes, two young girls got up a little later, and at first we thought they were just going to talk about how committed they were to life. They talked about school and sports and boys, but at the end of their talk, they looked at the director of the pregnancy care center and her volunteers and thanked them for being there outside that abortion clinic that day, the day that their moms were scheduled to abort them. Mr. Speaker, in an amicus brief submitted by a head of the NIFLA v. Becerra oral arguments, 13 women told their stories of the care and the hope that they received from pregnancy care centers, and here, briefly, is Angela's story. Angela grew up in a very difficult household and turned to drugs when she was 14 years old. Angela continued to wrestle with addiction and, at 31, discovered she was pregnant. Although she made an appointment for an abortion, she decided to keep the baby. Because of her addiction and the circumstance of her pregnancy, she felt she could not turn to her family for support, so she found a pregnancy care center. This one was in New York. At her first appointment, staff showed Angela her baby through an ultrasound. {time} 1900 Mr. Speaker, let me remind you that Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the cofounder of NARAL, who said, ``I have come to the agonizing conclusion that I presided over 60,000 deaths,'' was one of leaders in the sixties and seventies in promoting abortion throughout this country, and was very effective at it. When he became pro-life, he said: If wombs had windows, if every woman prior to an abortion would see an ultrasound of her baby, she would run out of that clinic. Well, the pregnancy care center people in New York showed Angela the ultrasound, and she was enamored, touched deeply by the baby--her baby--that she saw on the screen. They met with her weekly as the pregnancy progressed, always staying by her side, and a staff member was with her in the hospital when she delivered. After Angela gave birth to her son, Cameryn, the staff helped her to enroll in WIC and to reach out to New York's Department of Social Services. She continued to come to the pregnancy center--this is all in the friend-of-the-court brief--for parenting courses and for support in staying clean of those drugs that had so hurt her life. She writes: I always thought that people were fake, but they are genuine, particularly at the center. This is who they really are. They will help me. And they are helping to raise my son. Looking forward to life now, she credits the center with giving her support so that she doesn't turn back to drugs. Women and children across our Nation share similar stories. I have heard many, many of those stories over my time in the pro-life movement. And every time you meet one of those women--because we argue, Dr. Harris and I and all of those in the pro-life movement, that there are two victims in every abortion. The obvious is the dead child, who is dismembered or chemically poisoned; and the mother. And pregnancy care centers are all about life affirmation, loving them both. And to be told by California, ``You must advertise how to kill that baby,'' when you are about loving them both, like I said at the beginning, is an egregious violation of the First Amendment. And I do believe, and I know Dr. Harris and others on our side of this issue believe, that the Supreme Court will see that as such and render that law moot. Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey very much for his comments. It is a shame that here in the United States, with the freedoms that we have guaranteed in our Constitution, that this even has to come before a court. It is so clear that it is unconstitutional to compel speech against someone's beliefs--political, religious beliefs. These are what our Nation is founded on, and to compel these clinics to do this is something that shouldn't even enter the thoughts of anyone. Again, we would never compel any other nonprofit existing on donations and the neighborhood providing things to people in those neighborhoods and communities. We wouldn't think of compelling, again, political speech. We wouldn't think of compelling religious activity. Yet, here, California attempts to compel these volunteers, these clinics, who work on providing such a valuable choice to the women in their community, to essentially refer for an abortion that is against all the deeply held beliefs of these individuals. Mr. Speaker, I want to read the stories of some of the women who go to these clinics, because this really is about choice. This is about institutions in a community that offer true choice. Now, these are stories from the pregnancy centers in my community. So let me first tell you about Miranda. Mr. Speaker, 19-year-old Miranda came to this pregnancy center with her boyfriend and learned she was 9 weeks pregnant. Miranda worked 9 hours a day as a cashier at a Home Depot. She, honestly, was not happy with the positive results of her test. She didn't think she could raise a baby, and nobody had any faith in her. You see, a year earlier, Miranda had had an abortion. She still cries at the recollection and feels the pain of what she had done. She didn't want to make that choice again, but her circumstances hadn't changed, and she felt that that is what she had to do. Now, the volunteer counselor praised Miranda for working full time and getting her GED. The volunteer counselor explained how Miranda could obtain healthcare, and how that clinic's Earn While You Learn Program would educate her on prenatal care and parenting, as well as provide her with much-needed baby supplies once the baby was born. Then Miranda saw the fetal models depicting a 9-week-old fetus. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She asked so many questions, like: When does the heart start beating? Would it be possible for her to hear the beating heart? When does the baby start kicking? You see, Miranda explained that the abortion clinic she had been to a year before never told her about the development of the baby. She had been 15 weeks pregnant at the time she aborted. It was so surprising for her to see the truth in those baby models. Nobody ever told her that her baby had been so fully developed. Miranda said that the best part about coming to the pregnancy center was that they ``told her she could do it.'' You see, she had never heard that before. Nobody had ever told her that. She had a real choice now. Here is a story about Laura. When Laura came to the center 2 years ago, she was feeling nauseated and miserable. The timing of her pregnancy couldn't be worse. She had recently discovered that her mother had been diagnosed with late stage liver disease. Laura, too, was post-abortive. Her previous abortion was a terrible experience that left her emotionally scarred, of course, as it leaves many women. She didn't want to have another abortion, but felt she had no choice. She wanted to be there for her mom during her mother's time of need. Now, the volunteer advocate in the clinic spent lots of time just listening to Laura. It became clear that Laura [[Page H1595]] really wanted to keep her baby but was lost in trying to figure out how. Mr. Speaker, this is a recurring story in these pregnancy centers. There is a reason why they used to be called crisis pregnancy centers. These are women frequently in crisis who want to have that choice but don't see the way out of their circumstances. Well, this counselor helped Laura navigate through the muddy waters of her life and envision a future with her child. Soon, Laura's fear began to subside. A sonogram revealed a 7-week-old baby. In a tearful voice, Laura said: ``That is my baby.'' Since then, Laura has returned to the center weekly, participating in their prenatal education classes. She actually moved in with her mother so she could help her through her illness. Laura's hope is that her mom will be strong enough to hold the baby and spend her last days on Earth with her grandchild. Mr. Speaker, that is the kind of hope that pregnancy centers give women and their families. And, often, two lives are saved in these pregnancy centers: the child's and the mother's. An unplanned pregnancy can provide an opportunity and inspiration for a woman to get her life back on track; in these two cases, to actually start the family. A pregnancy can give a woman a reason to live, to take care of that child; a reason to go back to school to finish her education, as we heard about Miranda; a reason to reconcile with her family. As a father of five, and everyone who has been a parent knows this: we know how parenthood truly fundamentally transforms a person well before the child is born. From the time you know that you are going to have a new baby in the family, as well as every moment afterward, life is precious, life is priceless. Pregnancy centers support women during every step of that journey of providing a new life, a gift from God. Mr. Speaker, next week, the Court will hear a case that perhaps threatens the very existence of crisis pregnancy centers and pro-life pregnancy centers in the United States. I hope that those nine Justices have the wisdom to see that, in America, that a jurisdiction--whether it is California or Baltimore, Montgomery County, or Austin, Texas, or any jurisdiction--that has tried to compel speech in these pregnancy centers is violating our constitutional rights and, worse than that, is really affecting valuable resources in our community, the most valuable resource a woman with a crisis pregnancy can have. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. ____________________