Anyone to violate the ban. Senators may also take up a judicial nomination. Beginning wednesday, house and Senate Republicans will head to a resort in West Virginia for a policy conference. No votes expected after tomorrow. Live now to the floor of the senate here on cspan2. The pree senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal god, we lift our hearts to you. You are the source of our strength and hope for tomorrow. Today, show our lawmakers the path where they should walk, leading them to your desired destination. Inspire them to continuously put their hope in you. As they remember your unfailing love and compassion, remind them that nothing is impossible for those who believe. Amen. We pray in your powerful name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning businessclosed. The senate will proceed to s. 2311, which the clerk shall report. The clerk motion to proceed to the consideration of s. 2311, a bill to amend title 18, United States code to protect unborn children and for other purposes. The presiding officer the time until 5 30 p. M. Will be equally divided in the usual form. If no one yields time, then time will be charged equally. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from oregon. Mr. Wyden mr. President , the odds are quite good that when this Republicancontrolled Congress closes up shop in december, time spent attacking the health care of women is going to be right up at the top of how this congress spent their day. Theyre back at it again, and this latest attack that will be that we will be discussing this week goes after womens essential health care decisions. In my view, and i want to be very clear about this point, mr. President , this is another key part of the trump agenda of Health Care Discrimination, and this time its going after women , and this entire agenda is what the republicans are doing their best to blast through the congress into law. Its not just a one off either. So im going to spend a few minutes now to put this particular Health Proposal that discriminates against women in the appropriate kind of context, and to do that, i think its important to describe what has happened on health care since day one of the Trump Administration. The administration and republicans in the congress came right out of the gate with legislation that would have deprived hundreds of thousands of women of the right to see the doctor of their choosing. There was another attack on planned parenthood that completely ignored the fact that the Congress Already regulates what these trusted Health Care Providers can and cannot spend public funds on. What planned parenthood does use public funding for are Vital Health Care services that have absolutely nothing to do with abortion. Let me just make sure people understand what im talking about. Were talking about cancer screenings, prenatal care, preventative services, routine physicians and more. And, mr. President , i have town Hall Meetings in every county in our state. Had more than 860 of them. The vast amount of terrain in oregon is rural and when i go to those small communities and the least populated of our state, thats what people tell me. They go to planned parenthood thats what people tell me they go to planned parenthood for from cancer screenings to routine physicals. Thats what women would lose with this trump agenda of Health Care Discrimination. Next up, given the way the year and a little bit longer has evolved, was an ongoing attempt by the Trump Administration to deny women guaranteed nocost access to contraception. Now, this is one of the most Popular Health care policies in recent memory. Theres a lot of reasons why this is smart, not just because it is a matter of fairness for all women to have access to Birth Control. When women have access to contraception, it means healthier pregnancies and healthier newborns. It also reduces the risk of cancer among women. You can also look at it in terms of dollars and cents. When you take away nocost contraception, youre essentially taxing women based on their gender. Youre driving up the cost of their routine health care. It flies in the face of everything my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say about the problems of Health Care Costs in america. So those are strikes one and two denying women the right to see the doctor of their choosing and making it harder for them to access contraception. Now the senate is debating whether to throw a matter of subtle law out the window with a hyperpartisan ban on abortion after 20 years ago. My view on abortion throughout my time in Public Service is it ought to be safe, it ought to be legal, and it ought to be rare. And i have supported a whole host of policies that bring both sides of the aisle together. The president of the senate, for example, is fairly new to the Senate Finance committee, and hes looking to be involved in a host of issues. My guess is hell be very interested in the adoption tax credit kind of concept, which i and others have championed for some time. Thats something that brings both sides together. So my view is, abortion safe, legal, and rare. Find ways to bring both sides together. And respect that the federal government ought to leave women alone on these most intimate decisions that involve women, their spouses, and their Health Care Providers. The proposal the congress the senate is now debating is all about telling women what they can and cannot do. It criminalizes Health Care Services that ought to stay between women and their doctors, Health Care Services that are often necessitated by potentially lifethreatening complications. I just for the life of me dont see the wisdom of a lawmaker or a bureaucrat in washington, d. C. , or a state capital telling a woman how severe the danger to her life has to become before she is legally allowed to make this variably gutwrenching decision to choose an abortion. This issue has been settled law in america for 45 years. The debate should be over, but here it is again along with these other policies that ive just described are part of the Trump Administrations Health Care Discrimination agenda, which is particularly punitive against women. Let me also, you know, recognize that the biggest victims under this discriminatory agenda are women who walk an economic tig tightrope every single day. If their local planned parenthood clinic is forced to close its doors, they may not have the ability to take time off work and travel long distances to see another provider for routine health care. They already balance every day the food against the rent, the rent against electricity, electricity against gas. Take away these choices like nocost contraception can make their struggle to get ahead that much harder, especially when the rate of unintended pregnancy is five times higher among women living in poverty. Youve got folks who may not be able to afford a plane ticket or even a bus ticket to somewhere where they can find the essential Health Care Services they believe are necessary. There are serious, Genuine Health care challenges that face the country. Millions of americans get clobbered every single time they walk up to a pharmacy window and get pounded by the cost of prescription drugs. Thats the kind of bipartisan debate looking for solutions. Another example the Opioid Epidemic raging from one end of the country to another. More than half a million lives lost in the last two decades, countless families and entire communities torn apart. The congress and the Trump Administration hasnt done nearly enough to fight the crisis and, frankly, not anywhere near close to what was promised in the fall of 2016. Instead of taking on these challenges, the Trump Administration and republicans in congress are just full steam ahead with this agenda of Health Care Discrimination. This week an attack on women and their Health Care Choices. Passing this bill is going to make it harder for women to be in a position to make the Health Care Choices they believe are important, may be essential for their lives, and i urge my colleagues to oppose the bill. And with that, i yield the floor. Mrs. Ernst mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mrs. Ernst mr. President , i rise today to urge each of my colleagues to support the paincapable unborn Child Protection act. This critical legislation would prohibit a child from being aborted at five months of development. Now, for those that we have watching today, id just like you to focus a little bit on these photos, focus on those photos and ill return to them here in a moment. Again, im urging my colleagues to support the paincapable unborn Child Protection act. By any measure, at five months of development, an unborn child is a child. At five months, babies have grown nails on their fingers and on their toes, hair has just begun to grow on their heads, and an ultrasound can tell an expectant mother and father whether their baby is a boy or a girl. These babies can detect light, hear sounds, they can swallow, and even experience taste as their tastebuds grow and develop. These unborn babies in all ways are babies. There is also significant Scientific Evidence that at five months of development these babies can feel pain. By five months, babies begin to respond to painful stimulus with distinctive pain response behaviors that are exhibited by older babies. They will construct their eyes, theyll theyll scrunch their eyes, theyll pull back their limbs in response to pain, just like any other child experiencing pain. There is also a great deal of evidence that stress hormone levels rise substantially when babies at this age are exposed to pain. In 2015, a Cambridge University press medical textbook acknowledged that, a, quote, fetus becomes capable of experiencing pain between 20 and 30 weeks of gestation, end quote. In fact, fetal surgeons routin routinely administer pain medications for babies after only four months of development. Doctors are giving babies pain medication after four months of development. As modern medicine has recognized, these babies are humans capable of experiencing pain. Yet there is no federal law protecting these vulnerable humans from abortions. As a result, every year in our country, the lives of thousands of babies and, pai pain of bs end painfully through abortion. This is unacceptable. The majority of men and women across the nation agree with this premise. According to a recent maris poll, six out of ten americans surveyed support a law prohibiting abortion after five months of pregnancy. Additionally, multiple states, including my home state of iowa, have passed legislation that would prohibit abortions after five months of development. That is because these babies are babies. There is no way to deny the humanity of these children when you consider stories like that of micah i cannering. Now, micah is from newton, iowa. Hes a very young friend of mine. Hes five years old. Just a few weeks ago on the floor of the senate, i was able to share micahs story. As you may recall, micah was born at just 20 weeks post fertilization. The very point at which the paincapable unborn Child Protection would begin to protect these young lives. Today micah is a very happy, very energetic little 5. And now id like little 5yearold. And now id like to go back to these pictures. When i first met micah, he was about three years old, and he was out to visit my office he and his parents for the annual march for life. And i had this poster made of these pictures and they were in my office because i was going to speak on the senate floor in support of march for life. And micah, who is pictured here on the right side of the poster board micah, the happy little energetic boy. He saw this poster board in my office, and he ran up to it imagine this beautiful 3yearold boy and he truthinthis picture and he ran up to this picture and he pointed not at the picture of himself as he was at three years old, but he pointed to this picture, and he said, baby i said, yes, micah, thats a baby. This is micah when he was born. Micah as three years old understood that this was a baby. He didnt understand that that was him when he was born, but he understood that that was a baby. And if you look at the picture, you will see micah is gasping is grasping his mama and dad did is hands dandys hands with and daddys hands with five perfectly formed fingers on each hand. While he did not know that was him, he knew that was a baby, at five months gestation. So today general micas a happy, extraordinarily healthy young boy. I got to see him again this last year and again he was running around my office just full of energy and life. Yes, micah, this is a baby. I agree. Micahs story is not an isolated incident. Extraordinary stories of babies that are surviving just after five months of development can be found all around the world. A little over a year ago, dakota harris was born in ohio at 19 weeks of development. Even younger than micah. Last may she left the hospital with her family as a healthy 7pound baby. In 2016 baby erin was born at 20 weeks of development becoming the youngest premature baby to survive in israel. After five months of care at a hospital in televeve, he was able to go home again as a healthy baby. In 2010 frita who was born in germany at just under 20 weeks of development became europes youngest premature baby to survive. After receiving intensive care, she, too, was able to go home with her family as a happy 7pound baby. Babys have been on record surviving birth after just five months of development for three decades now, three decades. What greater evidence do you need that at five months development, an unborn child in every way is a child. Despite the clear evidence of the humanity of these children, the u. S. Is one of only seven countries, one of only seven countries in the world to allow abortions after five months of development. That means that while an overwhelming majority of the world recognizes and protects the humanity of these vulnerable children, the United States keeps the company of countries like china and north korea. They deny unborn children the most basic of protections. This, folks, is not who we are as a nation. It is time we listen to the Scientific Evidence, the men and women across america and a majority of the rest of the world. There should be no disagreement when it comes to protecting the life of an unborn child that can feel pain and as the Inspiring Stories of Micah Pickering and others show, they survive outside the womb. Its up to us to ensure that these children have the chance to grow up and lead the happy, healthy lives that god has granted them. As a mother and a grandmother, i am urging my colleagues to support the paincapable unborn Child Protection act which recognizes these unborn babies as the children they are and provides them the same protection from pain and suffering that all of our children deserve. And for my dear little friend micah, id say, yes, micah, this is a baby and were glad to have you here. God bless him. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor and would note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer and the clerk shall call the roll. Quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mrs. Ernst i would ask we vitiate the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. The presiding officer if no one yields time, the time shall be charged equally. Mr. Tillis mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from North Carolina. Mr. Tillis thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , im here today to talk about the vote well be taking up later this afternoon. Its the paincapable unborn protection act. Well be considering it later today. I want to thank senator graham and my fellow cosponsors on the bill. I think its a very important bill and i think its a balanced bill, a bill that has the support of the vast majority of the american citizens, and it would put us consistent with all but only seven other nations in terms of restricting an abortion to a limited number of exceptions after 20 weeks. Those exceptions are the threat of the life to the mother, someone who may have been raped or someone who has been the victim of incest. This is a balanced bill. Its a bill that most of the World Population agrees or its a policy that most of the World Population agrees should be in place. And i think its our job to make sure that with medical science today suggesting after 20 weeks that an unborn child can experience pain, that we should have this restriction put into place while still allowing the decision of the mother, the choice of the mother. We could discuss different opinions about that earlier, in the earlier terms, but certainly after 20 weeks. I think this is balanced policy and something i hope my colleagu