April 3, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 58 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
All in House sectionPrev20 of 62Next
NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 58
(House of Representatives - April 03, 2019)
Text available as:
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages H3065-H3066] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] {time} 2015 NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2019, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Abraham) for 30 minutes. Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize April as National Donate Life Month and the awareness one Louisiana family has brought to organ donation through the tragic loss of their son. On May 5, 2015, the Perry family, from Monroe, welcomed twin babies, John Clarke and Ella, to the world. All was fine and well for the twins until John Clarke was given the fatal diagnosis of a brain bleed shortly after their 6-month checkup. On November 29, 2015, John Clarke passed away at only 6 months old. Before his death, his parents, Jonathan and Holley, were approached about donating John Clarke's organs, to which they agreed. Meanwhile, 400 miles away in Auburn, Alabama, the Boswell family faced a similarly heartbreaking situation. Their son Davis, who was born in June 2015, had been diagnosed with enterovirus, an infection that attacked his heart. His only chance at survival was an improbable heart transplant. On a Sunday night in November, Davis' parents, Amanda and Tucker, received a call saying that a match had been found and that Davis would receive a heart. On November 29, 2015, Davis underwent a successful heart transplant. A few days later, Amanda and Holley were connected by a mutual friend on Facebook and realized that Davis had probably received John Clarke's heart, a fact confirmed by the hospital. In April 2016, the Boswells and the Perrys met at an event raising awareness for organ donation. The two families have continued to meet over the years at the annual Auburn-LSU football game, turning the rivalry game into an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for organ donation across the country. While this sequence of events could have only been handcrafted by God, organ donations save lives across the country on a daily basis. In 2018, 36,528 organ transplants were performed, a record high for the sixth consecutive year. On average, one organ donor can save up to eight lives. Through organ donation, John Clarke saved two children's lives. Mr. Speaker, today, I recognize the unspeakable tragedy that the Perrys faced and their incredibly brave decision to donate John Clarke's organs. Through this heartbreaking decision, John Clarke became a hero. Today, John Clarke is remembered by his family for his big blue eyes and sweet smile, a smile his parents say grew wider every time the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints were on TV. Like so many donors, John Clarke is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on in the bodies of those who received his organs. Throughout the month of April, I will be thinking of John Clarke, the entire Perry family, and all those who have given the gift of organ donation as a final act of compassion. Honoring Mason Andrews Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Mason Andrews, an 18-year-old from Monroe, Louisiana, who was recently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest pilot to circumnavigate the globe. Mason is a junior at Louisiana Tech University who set off on his trip around the world on July 22 and returned October 6 of 2018. He flew for 76 days in the spirit of Louisiana, a 1976 Piper Lance PA-32 single-engine aircraft. Mason made over 20 stops around the world, including Dubai, Paris, and Taiwan. His longest leg of the journey was the 14-hour, 2,150-mile stretch from Japan to Alaska. Mason flew not only to break a world record, but to raise awareness and funds for MedCamps of Louisiana. MedCamps of Louisiana is a free summer camp for children with varying disabilities or illnesses, such as autism, spina bifida, and Down syndrome. Mason has served as a camp counselor for 3 years with MedCamps of Louisiana and raised over $30,000 for the camp during his flight. To raise these funds and to break the world record, Mason overcame all obstacles he faced, including a sandstorm over Saudi Arabia and two Category 5 typhoons that kept him grounded for the better part of September. I am proud of what Mason was able to accomplish and how he has represented the great State of Louisiana. From one pilot to another, I congratulate Mason on his incredible achievement and look forward to what he will accomplish next. Born-Alive Survivor Protection Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today about something that has really been weighing on my mind, and that is the disturbing push for late-term abortions we have been seeing around the country. I am a doctor by trade. I have delivered many babies myself. I have seen babies in the womb on ultrasound wince in pain, and I have seen them comforted by their mother's voice. That baby is every bit as alive then as he or she is when a mother gets to hold her or him for the first time. I believe that life begins at conception. I believe adoption is always better than abortion. And I certainly believe that delivering a baby in the third trimester is far better for both the mother and the baby than a late-term abortion, which brings me back to why I wanted to speak tonight. The disturbing trend of codifying protections for late-term abortions must stop, and it will take Federal action to ban it across the entire country. We see what is happening at the State level: New York has passed a law that allows abortions at any time--at any time. That is outrageous, especially considering that many babies can live outside the womb around 20 weeks. Virginia tried to pass a similar law. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, who argued that babies could be killed after birth if the mother had preferred to abort it rather than to birth it, said: ``The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.'' That is disgusting. That is an endorsement of a murder of a helpless child, and we cannot stand for that. I am a proud cosponsor of the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, which requires that babies who survive abortions be given the same standard of care as any person in medical need. This is a commonsense approach because a baby is a person. Doctors are sworn to help those in need, and I cannot fathom how any medical provider could watch a helpless baby struggling outside the womb after she survives an abortion. Even still, Democrats are standing in the way of ending this heinous practice. Republicans have tried nearly 30 times to bring to the floor a vote on the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, and Democrats have blocked it every single time. Thankfully, my colleagues, Steve Scalise from my great State of Louisiana and Ann Wagner, have introduced a discharge petition to go around the Democratic leadership and force a vote on this important bill. I have signed the petition, and my prayer is that the Chamber can come together in a bipartisan way to state firmly that the United States of America does not believe in killing babies, especially after they are born. Critics say that it is a woman's choice and that politicians are interfering. If a baby is crying and he is crying out for help in an operating room, that is a person, an individual who is entitled to the same life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that every American is entitled to. Only the individual can decide that path forward for themselves; it is not the choice of anyone else; and a living, breathing baby deserves a chance to live. They say this bill is unnecessary because it is already law, pointing to the 2002 Born-Alive Infants Protection Act which codified into law that any person born alive in any stage of development is a legal person. Since that time, however, there have been cases where abortion providers do not consider a baby born if it survives an abortion. The Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act ends all debate and further protects babies who survive abortions. The Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act is a literal matter of life and death. It is about the core values of what we as [[Page H3066]] Americans and every single politician in State and Federal Government should clearly and definitely know: where we stand on this important bill. My position is clear: I stand with the babies. I stand with life. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. ____________________
All in House sectionPrev20 of 62Next