Karen Handel

Mrs. HANDEL

Mrs. HANDEL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).

Mrs. HANDEL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).

Mrs. HANDEL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Marshall).

Mrs. HANDEL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer).

Mrs. HANDEL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast).

Mrs. HANDEL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, we have heard many impassioned stories this afternoon. Much has changed since Roe v. Wade was upheld in the 1970s. We have made extraordinary medical advances. Today, we know with great certainty that babies in the womb, starting at the fifth month of pregnancy, do indeed feel pain. It is extraordinarily heartbreaking when an unborn baby is diagnosed with a severe and life-threatening abnormality, still that baby deserves a right to life and right to dignity. My sister was born with no esophagus and given little hope to live. By the grace of God and a miracle, within just weeks of her birth, a new technology, a new treatment came forward. Today, she is the proud mother of my two nieces. Madam Speaker, this is a good bill. It is a just bill. It is a moral bill to do what we are called to do, not just as Americans but as human beings: to protect lives of the most innocent. Madam Speaker, I rise in support and urge every colleague to vote in support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. HANDEL

Mrs. HANDEL. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Lewis, Congressman Graves, the entire Georgia delegation, to all of you, my new colleagues and soon- to-be very good friends, and to my family and friends in the gallery, I thank you. Now, I am not sure you have heard enough about this particular race. No, you really have. I am going to be very brief. This is an extraordinary honor and the greatest privilege that I think I have ever had. I look forward to serving the people of the Sixth District, to serving the people of Georgia, and to being a good coworker and friend to each and every one of you. Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for welcoming me so graciously. God bless you, God bless the great State of Georgia, and God bless the great United States of America.