mr. speaker , as the elected representatives of the american people , we have no greater responsibility than defending the lives and liberties of the most vulnerable among us . 
today , both the legislative and executive branches of the united states government are acting in concert to defend the life of one such human being , terri schiavo . 
while the legal issues related to this case remain uncertain , the moral issues could not be more clear . 
terri schiavo is very much alive today . 
by all appearances , she is responsive to her family and still has the capacity to feel joy and pain , like the rest of us . 
terri schiavo has a right to live , and we have a responsibility to help her . 
with such complex ethical questions that fall between interpreting the law and saving an innocent human life , we must always err on the side of life . 
president abraham lincoln said , `` i have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that i had nowhere else to go. '' this week , millions of americans , many of my colleagues , and i found ourselves in a similar position . 
through this action , congress is not only saving the life of terri shiavo , we are making a statement about the country we live in and the culture of life which we seek . 
