Mr. Lankford mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Lankford i ask unanimous consent to viscerate the quorum. The presiding officer the senate not in a quorum call. Mr. Lankford mr. President , i want to get a chance to address an ongoing conversation thats going on in washington, d. C. , right now and will be over the next 36 hours. As unusual as this may sound with all the drama thats happening here, just outside this building there are tens of thousands ofeople, most of them students, that are gathering in washington, d. C. , preparing for something called the march for life. This has happened for decades now. For students and adults that come from all over the country to be able to come to washington, d. C. , to quietly speak for those who cannot speak for themselves children still in the womb, to be able to speak out for the protection of life. It is an interesting conversation that has a tremendous amount of science and a tremendous amount of faith and a tremendous amount of heat around it. As some individuals dont want to discuss the issue of abortion or would simply say thats a womans choice, need to set that aside and ignore it, there are a whole group of students that are rising up and saying, wait a minute. That child in the womb has ten fingers and ten toes, unique d. N. A. Thats different from the mom and dad, the child has a beating heart. That doesnt sound like tissue to me. That sounds like a child. Theyre raising great issues that quite frankly science reinforces as well. Last week i had the opportunity to be able to stop by one of the Great Research facilities in oklahoma. Theyre doing tremendous research on cancer, on m. S. , on alzheimers, and a lot more. I stopped by one of the labs and talked to one of the scientists there. Theyre actually doing research on zebra fish. As odd as this may sound, theyre taking zebra fish eggs, developi those eggs, there ininvestigating them with a ge that theyre injecting them with a gene that they know to be cancerous in humans, allowing that to develop in the zebra fish, seeing the abnormalities there, treatin treating it with different drugs to see if they can reverse the abnormalities. Theyre taking zebra fish, creating problems and seeing if they can fix it. All for one simple thing. The ability to be able to cure diseases that affect human life. We have as a culture determined that life is valuable. Human life especially is valuable and precious. The challenge that we have is determining when that life begins. Myself and millions of others believe life begins at conception, when that child has different d. N. A. Than the mom or the dad, that tissue is not just the moms tissue at that point, its growing independently. Theres no difference in that child in the womb and the child thats in the background playing and laughing and going down the slide other than time. Theres no difference. Last year the Cleveland Cavaliers guard had a little dakota. She was born at less than a pound at 19 weeks of development. She left the hospital five months later at 7 pounds, 4 ounces. 7 pounds, 5 ounces actually. When she left the hospital, it was a remarkable event. It was celebrated all over social media for this guard for the n. B. A. Cleveland cavaliers and this beautiful child leaving. Dakota is now a year old. Its been interesting the stir that happened around her birth. A lot of people stopped and thought about a child that small and young. It was interesting the articles that came out noted that a child at 23 weeks of development has a 50 to 60 of survival now. Science has changed a lot over the last several decades. A lot is happening. It is remarkable to hear the stories of surgery thats happening inutero. In 1995, Roberto Rodriguez went through surgery still . The womb. He had major problems in his left lung and at 20 weeks they went in and did surgery inutero fixing his left lung, allowed him to finish out. 13 weeks later he was delivered healthy. Little Roberto Rodriguez is now 22 years old. Technology is not new anymore. In many way the science has far surpassed conversation here in america dealing with policy with children. The Supreme Court back in the 1970s when they passed roe v. Wade had this whole conversation about viability and that government has the right to be able to step in and protect children at the moment that theyre viable. In the 1970s that was very different than what it is now. Now we see children at 21, 22 weeks of development and being born and being natural, healthy, great children. We need to be able to catch up in law. We may disagree on a lot of things in life. As ive already stated, i believe life begins at conception. But in this body, i know there is a lot of conception about how do we actually goat a sense of commonality on these issues. Let me lay down three different issues that i think maybe we can find some Common Ground on these three issues. We may disagree on when life begins, can we at least agree that americans have a groom of conscience . Can we at least agree on lateterm abortions when a child is clearly viable . And can we at least agree when a child is born alive, they should be protected . Let me hit those three quickly. The first one is basic freedom of conscience. Allowing an individual to be able to live out their conscience. I spoke to several nurses a few months ago. Those nurses when they were hired at the hospitals they worked in told the individuals in h. R. And the physicians they work with, they believe that life begins at conception and they had a moral and conscious believe that they wanted to protect children and they were told at the moment, you will not have to participate in abortions. We understand your conscious belief. Well protect your conscious belief. And for years they did not. And then suddenly they ran short in nurses at one moment and they pulled each of them in at different times in different hospitals in different states. They told stories of being pulled into a story, being told on the way in we need new this procedure, arriving only to find out it was an abortion they were being forced to assist with. They were appalled to be a part of the death of a child. Rather than protecting the life of a child. But each of them was told, you will los you job if you dont participate in the taking of this childs life. Thats an unfair place to be able to put them in. Individuals should be able to have the freedom of conscience and to be able to live out their moral and spiritual beliefs. I would never go to an abortion doctor and force him to peacefully protest against his own abortion clinic. That would be absurd. But for some reason proabortion hospitals see no issue at times compelling a staff member to participate in something they find objectionable, even when theyve made their stance clear. We should never force a person to administer a lethal injection in a prison if they have a moral objection to the death penalty. That seems only reasonable. Were rightfully furious when a man threatens a woman with firing if she doesnt respond to his advances. No one would say if she doesnt like his advances, she can just go find another job. But for some in our culture, they want to look away when that same man threatens a woman with firing if she doesnt violate her conscience and help perform an abortion. Theyre willing to tell her, just quit and go find another job. Whats the difference . We wouldnt compel a vegan to eat meat at a company barbecue, would why would we compel a person to assist in the taking of a life when theyre personally offended by the practice . The right of conscience should be protected for every person. Religious intolerance is a personal choice, not a legal requirement in america. Lateterm abortions are another area we should find Common Ground on and should be able to protect these children. We should agree that elective lateterm abortions should be ended in america. This is an elective abortion after five mounts of pregnancy, when the childs nervous system is fully developed, they can feel pain tax at that point. We in america because of the proabortion lobby and the activists around have lost track of this simple fact. We are one of seven nations in the world that allow elective abortions after 22 weeks of gestation. In fact, of those seven nations that allow abortions, three of those, canada, singapore, and netherlands allow elective abortions only until 24 weeks, just two weeks later. But there are only four countries in the world that allow elective abortions at any moment. You ready for this club . Four nations that are like us. The United States, vietnam, north korea, and china. Thats it. Those four nations allow elective abortions at any stage like we do. That is a Horrible Club for the United States of america to be in. They are some of the worst human rights violators in the world, and thats the elite club that we find ourself in. The proabortion lobby is so powerful and is so wealthy and theyre so engaged, theyre not willing to even relent that even one childs life could be protected, even when theyre clearly viable. Leaving the United States in this horrible collection with vietnam, north korea, and china on abortion policy. At five months old, a child in the womb can kick, stretch, yawn, smile, suck its thumb, and feel pain. Its a viable child. Lateterm abortions represent only 1. 3 of all abortions in america. I would contend we should stop this practice altogether. 191 nations already do, that they dont allow this, 191 nations. Theres no reason we should not as well. Its interesting. The Washington Post heard several people quote that statistic about seven nations are the only nations that actually allow any abortions this late in the stage. Those four that i mentioned, the netherlands, canada and singapore allow up to 24 weeks but not after that. They ransom their famous fact checker on this issue. The Washington Post ransom through all of it, looked at it saying this sounds like this is not correct, except they ransom through the whole study, looked at it, fact checked the whole thing and at the end of it came back and said no, it actually is correct. What seemed a dubious statement in the beginning, they fact checked and gave what the Washington Post calls their elite jepetco interpretation. That means no pinocchio, true statements. I believe life begins at conaccepting, but i would say to this group not everyone agrees with me on this but we should at least be able to protect life when its viable. Let me add one more detail to this thats painful to even discuss. Of those lateterm abortions that occur, theres 1. 3 of those abortions that occur during thi late time period. The child isoo lge and too well developed to actually have a traditional abortion procedure. So the abortions are done by the abortion doctor reaching in with a tool into the womb and literally pulling the childs arms and legs off allowing the child to bleed to death in the womb and then pulling its parts out a piece at a time. Why do we allow that in america . 191 other nations do not. All of europe does not. When is the last time you heard me say our social policy needs to catch up with europe . Were better than this. Last statement. I have some colleagues that want to be able to join me in this conversation as well. We should be able to agree on a simple principle, that if an abortion is conducted and yet its botched and instead of destroying the child in the womb, the abortion doctor actually induces the delivery, in those rare cases the Current Practice is, when the child is delivered, everyone in the operating room backs away and allows the child to die of exposure on the table. Because they cant actually take the life anymore. Its been fully delivered. Kerma sits in prison right now because as an abortionist in philadelphia, he was of the practice of delivering children and killing them after delivered. So its a crime already to be able to physically take the life of that individual. So the Current Practice is if they mess up the abortion and deliver instead of destroy, they just allow the child to die on its own crying on the table. Can we as congress and as americans at least agree that it is barbaric to watch a crying child on the table slowly die . That at least at that moment of delivery we would agree a child is a child when we can see all ten of their fingers, see all ten of their toes, and hear their voice crying on the table. This is an issue that shouldnt be controversial. This is an issue that we should find great compassion. And i would challenge this body when we deal with conscience and we deal with lateterm abortions and we deal with children that are born alive,hat we find resolution in those areas. Im awarehis is a difficult topic. I understand for many people in this conversation, its painful to even consider it. And for the millions of women who have experienced abortion in their personal life, that this is painful to even consider. But im also aware that until we talk about these hard issues and resolve them, it will continue to advance. Were better than this as a nation. Lets prove it in the way that we treat our most vulnerable. With that, mr. President , i would ask for a time of colloquy time with some of my colleagues and would like to be able to recognize senator blunt from missouri. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Blunt mr. President , im the presiding officer the senator from missouri. Mr. Blunt im here with the senator from oklahoma. Were about to be joined by the senator from iowa to talk about a topic that senator lankford just said is difficult to talk about. When you actually stand up and explain whats going on, its hard to imagine that we still let these things happen. Senator lankford, you know, one thing id suggest that we could talk about is the fact that the minds of people have changed on this and almost all change once you explain the two things that the congress is focused on this year. Polling on this, i believe 63 of all americans now believe that these lateterm abortions should not be allowed to occur. Many as you well pointed out, the countries that allow this to happen are not the countries whose social policies youd want to be aligned with. China, north korea who have a stated purpose of eliminating children just for no other reason than population control, and they wind up eliminating more female children than male children in that process because apparently their belief is that the male child has more economic value going forward. Why would we want to be aligned with countries that look at these issues that way or just simply think that the pain should be allowed. The house has passed the pain capable bill. And where are we now in the house on the born alive bill . Is it to be voted on this week or has it been voted on already . Mr. Lankford in colloquy, the house has passed both a pain capable and infant protection born alive. In a prior month. The senate has yet to take that up and is our hope in the senate to be able to bring that up for real dialogue in conversation in the days ahead. Mr. Blunt i think the pain capable bill was passed by the house in october. We have thousands of americans coming this week focusing on tomorrow to talk about this issue. These two bills are two of their priorities, but of course their priority is to honor life. The march for life is designed to do exactly that. And it clearly the march for life in its 45th year now is not a celebration. Its not an anniversary of celebration. Rather its a time to remember that theres a lot that we still need to do to ensure that our society is a society that values every human life no matter how small, no matter how vulnerable, no matter how little capacity that life has to protect itself. And the way that the society i think has decided to deal with this is looking at things like partial birth abortion, the description of which was every bit as bad as the dismembering abortions. Congress stepped forward on that topic. Some people who performed that particular act didnt stop doing it but theyre in trouble when you find out they have done it. So thousands of people from all over the country, in fact, tens of thousands of people, its a number i believe is always underreported based on looking at the march for life crowd and any other crowds we see here. I guarantee the final number, if you take any of those crowds and look at them, you believe that there is a willingness to ignore the thousands of people that come in buses if all over the country in the worst possible weather more years than not to stand up and say we dont want this to happen. Young people i think are increasingly more and more defensive of the idea of life and are more and more offended by the places which we where weve chosen not to draw the line. How can you possibly justify a baby thats born alive and the process that senator lankford just described where you cant take that life but you can step back and not do anything to save that life or the uniquely troubled countries were involved in that allow allow developed children,oy and girls, ten fingers, ten toes, the ability to feel pain, to inflict that pain on those children at that time. The American People dont support this. Almost nobody who understands whats going on supports it. If youre asking polling, i think, as i said earlier, 63 , more than six out of ten americans say how could we be continuing to let that happen. So supporting those who come here, responding to those who understand this, and certainly the two senators on the floor here, the senator from iowa and the senator from oklahoma, are among the best advocates for life, among the best advocates for getting information out about life, about adoption, about what happens that our laws allow that the laws of other countries dont allow. Certainly ill be welcoming the march to life this year from missouri and other states. The Vice President last year became the first Vice President in the history of the country to speak to the march for life and made it clear where his views were and where the administration is. The missing component here to do the right thing is the congress itself. We have an opportunity to step up and do that. We need to have this debate on the floor because people, once they enter into this debate, realize its not a debate that they want to be in because the wrong side of this is the side where slightly more than a handful of countries allow to happen what we allow to happen. Im pleased to be here on the floor with senator lankford and senator ernst. Senator ernst, im going to turn to you now. Mrs. Ernst thank you. Id like to thank my colleagues. Thank you, mr. President. I thank my colleagues from oklahoma, missouri, and will be joined shortly by the senator from montana a