Date: 2004-05-04
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. last week. several Members of this body issued statements criticizing Presidential adviser Karen Hughes. demanding an apology for comments she made on April 25. 2004. Unfortunately. my colleagues have distorted her remarks into a misrepresentation of her actual sentiment. which I fully support. In a live interview on CNN on April 25. Ms. Hughes is quoted as saying. "I think after September 11 the American people are valuing life more and realizing that we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life. "And President Bush has worked to say. lets be reasonable. lets work to value life. lets try to reduce the number of abortions. lets increase adoptions." She goes on to say. "Unfortunately our enemies in the terror network. as were seeing repeatedly in the headlines these days. dont value any life. not even the innocent and not even their own." That was on CNN "Late Edition." April 25. 2004. In response to her words. some of my colleagues have accused Hughes of equating those who support abortion with terrorists. They have requested an apology for this alleged use of "cheap and distasteful politics." I find this gross misrepresentation of Ms. Hughes comments disgusting and firmly stand behind her words. Mr. Speaker. this demand for an apology is simply a political ploy designed to damage the prolife movement and to promote the abortion industry and their pursuit of increased abortions. Abortion is a moneymaking business. and the proabortion movement will take any chance they can to derail those who promote life. Planned Parenthoods budget for fiscal year ending June of 2002 showed total revenue of $692.5 million. and they had a profit of $12.2 million for that 1year period alone. Personally. I would like to thank Karen Hughes for her words because she was right. and. no. I will not apologize. Although Mrs. Hughes did not insinuate that these groups were terrorists. I find it amazing that these proabortion groups. like Planned Parenthood. have the gall to claim that they are "offended" at this accusation. Offended? Let me read to you some of the signs that were displayed at the proabortion rally in DC a few weeks ago. These were signs that did not make it to the mainstream newspaper. From World Magazine. May 8 edition. their signs read. "Abort Bush. We are prochoice and we riot. Keep Bushs hands out of my pants." Offended? I am personally offended as every American should be. And these groups claim to speak for all women. It is these very same groups that have repeatedly called prolife groups like Concerned Women for American "terrorists." Yes. Planned Parenthood likes to use the word "terrorist" any time they deem it politically useful. Recently. I saw on Planned Parenthood Federations Web site a page entitled "Eye on Extremism." and under the heading titled "Terrorists and Extremist Organizations" was a detailed listing of 14 leading prolife organizations. I am familiar with the majority over these groups and it is clear that Planned Parenthood is simply working on a smear campaign. So I have a question for Planned Parenthood: How can such a claim be made against Hughes. an unsubstantiated claim I might add. when groups advocating family and prolife policies are branded as extremists and terrorists? Planned Parenthood. are you going to apologize for these groups for. as you put it. "cheap and distasteful politics." A national Right to Life poll has indicated growing opposition to abortion. 56 percent of women. 62 percent of African Americans. 79 percent of Hispanics. 61 percent of 18 to 29 year olds reject abortion in most circumstances. Americans recognize the value of life. As Mrs. Hughes stated. in the post9 11 world. we as Americans have placed a greater emphasis on the value of life. We grieve for the loss of every soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan. cling tighter to our close friends and family. and are more conscientious of our personal and national security. Additionally. we celebrate the birth of every baby and adoption of every child into a loving family because we value each life. Mrs. Hughes comments in the April 25th interview were right on target. The demand for an apology is absurd. and I would like to know if Planned Parenthood is going to apologize to the groups that they list as terrorists on their Web site. I doubt it. because each child saved from an abortion is money that the abortion industry will not get. And that. unfortunately. is what this is all about.