H 4486 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 2, 1995

tax bill should be disregarded. That different

effective date was chosen merely because the

minority leader was informed that the motion

to recommit would otherwise have been subject to a point of order. Had the Republicans

lived up to their promise to consider tax bills

under open procedures, the minority leader

would not have been forced to use that different effective date.

From the press, we already know the name

of at least one wealthy American, and heir to

the Starkist Tuna fortune, who renounced U.S.

citizenship after February 6 of this year and,

therefore, could benefit from a delay in the effective date of this legislation. We also know

that other powerful lobbyists are representing

families, such as the Getty family, in an attempt to delay this provision. We must guarantee that the efforts of these lobbyists will be

unsuccessful.

Mr. Speaker, I wish this legislation had been

enacted earlier. I believe the privileged few

who amass great fortunes under our laws and

then renounce their citizenship to avoid tax

here should be asked to pay their fair share.

Those who have sought to protect these few

extraordinarily wealthy individuals may have

won the early skirmishes in this battle for fairness. But introduction of this bill is a signal

that we who care about fairness will not give

up until we win the war.

COMMEMORATING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN

fGENOCIDE

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

previous order of the House, the gentleman from Rhode Island [Mr. KENNEDY] is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr.

Speaker, today I rise to support the

commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. For the

thousands of Rhode Islanders from my

district of Armenian descent who lost

family members in this genocide, today

is a particularly somber day.

But whether you are of Armenian descent or not, this day would be even

more tragic if we did not remember.

There is a quote that I think is particularly important today, and it goes

as this:

First, they came for the socialists, and I

did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I did not speak out because I was not a

trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews,

and I did not speak out because I was not a

Jew. Then they came for me, and there was

no one left to speak for me.

This quote is telling, because it can

be said as much for the Armenian genocide as the Jewish Holocaust. In fact, it

has not been lost on historians of this

century that the failure to recognize

the Armenian genocide for what it was

made it easier, not harder, for evil

minds like Hitler to believe that they

could do the same.

Today, we in Congress are solemnly

observing the tragedy of the Armenian

genocide not only to honor the memory

of those who died but, in doing so, to

ensure that such horrors will never

occur again.

EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR DR.

HENRY FOSTER, SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. JACKSON-LEE]

is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker,

‘‘unassuming, focused, compassionate,

a consensus builder, a fine physician.’’

Mr. Speaker, these are the words that

people in Nashville—the people who

know him best—use to describe Dr.

Henry Foster, the nominee for U.S.

Surgeon General.

When President Clinton was considering nominees for this post, he said

that he was looking for someone who is

qualified as a top-flight medical professional, a strong leader, and an effective

communicator. Dr. Henry Foster is

such a person. Unfortunately, though,

a controversy has loomed surrounding

his confirmation. Along with many

other medical procedures, Dr. Foster

has administered abortions during his

30-year medical career in the field of

obstetrics and gynecology. For this,

some would deny him the opportunity

to serve as the ‘‘Nation’s Doctor.’’

This debate will continue to be superficial until we move beyond the

scratched surface. A Tuskegee, AL,

woman would tell her story to the

Charlotte Observer:

Jeannette Hight was 31⁄2 months pregnant

when she began bleeding in the middle of the

night. Frantic, she called her obstetrician at

home. With her doctor’s careful help, Hight

averted a miscarriage. That was more than

25 years ago. The Doctor was Henry Foster.

Hight wants the nation to know that the

man who saved the life of her only son is no

‘‘abortion doctor.’’ She remembers Foster as

a compassionate man committed to ushering

in new life. She says, ‘‘What I’ve heard is a

one-sided story. I haven’t heard anything

about all the lives that came into this world

because of him. He is a man of great integrity.’’

Another Tuskegee woman told a different story of her memorable experience with Dr. Foster, printed in the

U.S. News & World Report:

Joyce Carter German was a college junior,

married and pregnant for a second time. She

wanted an abortion. Foster refused. ‘‘This is

not the right choice,’’ he told her. The baby

‘‘is a blessing to you.’’ German is now a medical technician; her daughter is in graduate

school. She is glad Foster said no, and like

others, she is puzzled that his fate may hang

on how many abortions he has performed.

It is so terribly unfortunate that the

work Dr. Foster has done over the

years to prevent teenage pregnancy

through his ‘‘I Have a Future’’ Program is being ignored by those who

would rather focus on the number of

abortions he has performed. In his own

words in a Washington Post Op-Ed

piece, Dr. Foster said, ‘‘It’s ironic that

my work fighting teenage pregnancy

has been overshadowed by my opponents’ talk about abortion. I do believe

in the right of a woman to choose. And

I also support the President’s belief

that abortion should be safe, legal, and

rare. But my life’s work has been dedicated to making sure that young people don’t have to face the choice of

having abortions.’’

Let us not muddy the waters of this

confirmation process with partisan

bickering and selective research. I urge

my colleagues in the other Chamber

not to fall victim to the empty rhetoric

designed to deny Dr. Foster’s confirmation as the U.S. Surgeon General.

Doing so would only serve to make the

Senate confirmation process less credible to an already suspicious public. I

urge the Senate to review Dr. Foster’s

complete record. Learn who Dr. Foster

really is.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER

PRO TEMPORE

fThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Members should be advised to avoid comments regarding the confirmation

process in the Senate.

TRIBUTE TO ALL CIVIL SERVANTS

INVOLVED IN THE OKLAHOMA

fCITY TRAGEDY

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

previous order of the House, the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. HOYER] is

recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I am

pleased to be here with my colleagues

to pay tribute to all of the civil servants involved in the Oklahoma City

tragedy.

I had an opportunity of speaking earlier today as we passed the resolution

expressing our outrage and our deep

sympathy for that which happened in

Oklahoma City during the last 2 weeks.

b 1715

More than 550 Federal workers

worked in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City which,

like Federal buildings across our Nation, provided an array of services to

citizens in the region surrounding

Oklahoma City.

It has long been my view that Federal workers are one of our Nation’s

greatest assets.

As President Lyndon Johnson once

noted:

So very much of what we are as a Nation—

and what we are to achieve as a people—depends upon the calibre and character of the

Federal career people. In no other endeavor

can you more directly serve our country’s

cause—or the values on which we stand—

than in the public service.

We lost many of these fine men and

women last month and I want to extend my heartfelt sympathies to all of

their families, friends, their coworkers,

their neighbors, and those they serve.

I had hoped to be speaking this week

in celebration of public service recognition week, that special week each year

when we recognize the enormous contributions made by public employees

not just the Federal level, but at all

levels of Government.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,

the mall will be filled with displays