Joseph Pitts

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am humbled to stand in this Chamber and engage in debate over such a critical matter as this. Like the civil rights movement, the pro-life cause has always been about one of securing rights for those who cannot speak for themselves and who cannot on their own obtain them. The fight goes all the way back to our Nation's beginning. What more could our Founding Fathers have envisioned when they drafted the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming to all that America would ``hold these truths would be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness''? There it is. The first unalienable right designated by the Declaration of Independence is our right to life. Our Founding Fathers must have deemed this an indispensable right, for its placement signifies it was not an afterthought. From the start of our great Nation until now, countless men and women have fought and even sacrificed their own lives to protect that right for others. Yet, in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that has changed the course of history in this country. A right that had been protected for nearly 200 years was tossed aside by a court decision to legalize abortion. Up until that point, an unwanted pregnancy was likely to lead to an adoption, a process that placed an unwanted child in a caring home. The legacy of the late Steve Jobs reminds us of the impact an adoption can have on the entire world. Fortunately for us, Jobs was born 18 years before Roe v. Wade. Shortly after his birth to a single mother, Jobs was adopted by a married couple in central California. He would go on to be the founder of a tech company that has literally changed the world. His was the route of many unexpected children before 1973. Maya Angelou, Babe Ruth, and Eleanor Roosevelt are just a few of the many adoptees that have transformed the world we live in today. Unfortunately, since Roe v. Wade, more and more women are being persuaded that abortion is nothing more than a simple medical procedure that will help them move on with their lives. This could not be further from the truth. A study of Medi-Cal patients in California revealed that women who had had an abortion were 160 percent more likely to be admitted for psychiatric treatment than those who had carried the child to term and delivery. These women who chose to terminate their pregnancies then had to deal with the psychological devastation that is often associated with such a decision. Adding harm upon harm, abortion is a procedure that brings mental trauma to the mother and irreparable damage to the unborn. Because of this, the policy of the Federal Government for the last 35 years has been to ban funding for such a procedure. Studies have shown that when the government subsidizes abortion, their number increases. The President, a supporter of abortion rights, has stated his commitment to reducing the amount of abortions in this country. Restoring the policy of prohibiting Federal funds for abortion would be a good first step. The American people, to a large degree, agree with this policy. In fact, as recently as last year, a survey revealed that 67 percent of Americans support a ban on abortion funding. But the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act failed to include this prohibition, and that is why we are here today. President Obama indicated his support for upholding the ban on Federal funding for abortion in health reform, and that is exactly what the Protect Life Act does. The issue of prohibiting taxpayer funds for abortion is important to the American people. And so it should be important to Congress as well. Protecting the unalienable right to life is important to the American people. It should be to the Congress as well. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Hon. Fred Upton, Chairman, House Committee on Energy & Commerce, Washington,

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 430, I call up the bill (H.R. 358) to amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to modify special rules relating to coverage of abortion services under such Act, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 358 and to insert extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I claim time in opposition to the motion.

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to another distinguished member of the Health Subcommittee, the gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Phil Gingrey.

Mr. PITTS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished vice chairman of the Health Subcommittee, the gentleman from Texas, Dr. Burgess.

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the proceedings had during the recess be printed in the Record.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, this morning here on Capitol Hill I stood with other Members of Congress to receive more than 1.6 million signatures on petitions calling for the immediate repeal of last year's huge health care law. We've now had 18 months to find out what's in the bill, and it only looks worse every day. We found the billions of dollars in slush funds that the Secretary of Health and Human Services controls, without any input from Congress. We found a CLASS Act, a long-term care insurance care plan that is so broken that HHS had to stop planning for its implementation. We've seen health care premiums climb faster, despite promises that the law would save every American family $2,500 per year. We've seen Federal courts reject as unconstitutional the notion that the government can force you to buy insurance. I'd need much more than 1 minute to catalog all the ways this bill is hurting job growth and destroying health care innovation. Simply put, this is a rolling train wreck, and the American people know it. We need to listen to them and repeal this destructive and unconstitutional bill.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome members of the Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania to Washington today. Hospitals are an essential piece of Pennsylvania's economy. Annually, the total economic benefit for our State is $2.7 billion a year. More than 16,000 Pennsylvanians are employed by hospitals, and they are paid an average salary of more than $52,000 a year. In my home district, Lancaster General Hospital is now the largest employer. Doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers are contributing to our economy and saving lives. They're working hard to come up with new ways to save lives, new methods to improve our health, and ways to reduce the cost of care. Working in a hospital is not easy. Doctors, nurses, and administrators help individuals and families who are hurting and who are struggling with illness and disease. And they work long hours performing difficult tasks. We thank our hospital professionals for their service; and as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, I will always listen to their voice as Congress works to improve our health care system.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).

Mr. PITTS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2005, the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011, would enable the Department of Health and Human Services to continue its important work to understand, treat, and cure autism spectrum disorders. In 2000, Congress passed the Children's Health Act that included funding for research and surveillance on autism. Eventually in 2006, Congress passed the Combating Autism Act that is now being reauthorized. The Combating Autism Act authorizes HHS to research on autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities at NIH, convene an Interagency Autism Coordinating Council, conduct surveillance to identify the extent of the disorder, and promote early screening and train medical personnel to identify children at risk. Since the program was first passed in 2006, research has led to better diagnosis, more comprehensive surveillance and programs that offer support and respite for families. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2005) to reauthorize the Combating Autism Act of 2006.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and thank him for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. PITTS. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Harper).

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. I urge Members to support H.R. 2005. I commend, again, Chris Smith and Mike Doyle for their leadership on this issue. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance), a member of the subcommittee.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record.

Mr. PITTS. In conclusion, I would like to thank the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Pallone, for his leadership on this issue. It has been a bipartisan effort on the Health Subcommittee and Energy and Commerce Committee. I urge all Members to support the Children's Hospital Graduate Education Support Reauthorization Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1852, the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Support Reauthorization Act of 2011, would enable the Department of Health and Human Services to continue to provide funding to freestanding children's hospitals to support the training of pediatricians and other residents. This funding is critical to ensuring the adequacy of the pediatric workforce in the United States. The program was first enacted by Congress in 1999 with wide bipartisan support and has been reauthorized twice. Since the enactment of the bill, the number of pediatricians trained has increased by 35 percent. The week we marked up this bill, I met 10-year-old Anna Lipsman. Anna is a bright, outgoing young girl who is fighting leukemia. Diagnosed just a few months ago, Anna spent 2 weeks undergoing treatment at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She is successfully fighting her disease, but will still need additional treatments over the next 2\1/2\ years. Anna is a strong, personal reminder of why I introduced this bill. With the reauthorization of H.R. 1852, we hope to send a clear message to the Obama administration and the Department of Health and Human Services that this bill is important to ensuring that children receive adequate health care. I would like to thank Mr. Pallone and all the 114 cosponsors that worked on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1852) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize support for graduate medical education programs in children's hospitals.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the American people can finally see Harry Reid's debt ceiling plan. Only 5 days before the deadline set by the President, the Senate majority leader finally put something on paper and submitted it to the Congressional Budget Office. I think we understand why he waited so long to do this. The plan before the Senate is filled with gimmicks and does almost nothing to put our country on a better fiscal footing. Of course, the largest gimmick is claiming to save $1 trillion by shutting down wars that are already winding down. Despite having these phantom cuts in his bill, Majority Leader Reid gives the President the full amount of debt ceiling increase that he needs to push everything past next year's election. Once again, the financial security of our country would be sacrificed for political expediency. By contrast, Speaker Boehner's plan cuts spending by $1 for each $1 increase in the debt limit. It may not be perfect, but it is necessary to keep us paying our bills and prevent a debt rating downgrade. It is a start to getting our country back on the path to a balanced budget.

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. I rise to urge this Chamber to support H.R. 440, a bill that requires the President to appoint a special envoy at the State Department to advocate for religious minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia. I commend the gentleman for his leadership on this matter. I have personally met with oppressed people from all over the globe, but predominantly ones from the Near East and South Asia. The region has long been a hot-bed of religious discrimination, and little has been done by our government to aid these innocent practitioners of faith. Revolutions striving for democracy and greater expression in the region have been matched by a wake of religious intolerance and extremism. As we cherish our right to the free expression of religion here at home, our State Department needs to reflect our dedication to protecting this right in our diplomatic engagements abroad. Religious minorities in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and countless other countries are left without an advocate in the political process of their respective governments. H.R. 440 would provide an envoy that can advocate for these religious minorities and focus solely on their plight while being able to avoid bureaucratic red tape. As basic human rights are increasingly under assault in this region, our government needs to rapidly respond to the new challenges rapidly emerging. It is in our strategic interest to pass this legislation. I ask the Members to join me in supporting it. General Leave

Mr. PITTS

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the Hill newspaper recently reported that there's another prominent glitch in last year's health care law. Millions of families could struggle to purchase insurance because of the sloppy manner in which the bill was written. The law mandates that every individual pay insurance. If the insurance offered by an employer is deemed affordable by the government, then an employee must purchase it. However, the Federal Government will only look at the individual plans offered by companies--not the family plans. While the plan for an individual may be affordable, the family plan could be significantly more expensive. Correcting this mistake in the law would mean at least $50 billion more per year in government subsidies. The President told the American people that the new health care law would not increase the deficit. Now we find yet another example of how this bill will cost both American families and the Federal Government far more than what was claimed. Clearly, we need full repeal before this law full of glitches and mandates is fully implemented, bankrupting families and the government.