i thank the gentleman from wisconsin for his work . 
mr. speaker , there are doctors in this chamber , there are lawyers in this chamber , there are judges in this chamber . 
i am none of those , but i am an elected member of congress . 
i am also a mother . 
tonight in this gallery my daughter sits . 
i think of my daughter , i think of my other three children , and i think of the day they were born . 
i think of the milestones in their lives and the love that i have for them . 
i think of the lengths that i would go to protect my children as adults even if they had an injury . 
i think of the lengths that i would go to , to care for my children . 
i would die for my children . 
i would do anything for them . 
my heart is raw when i hear the things about terri schiavo and her mother and her father and her siblings , because i just lost my brother in november . 
i think of how my life changed in an instant and all the lives of those who cared for him . 
we talk about a family decision . 
what about terri 's mom and dad ? 
what about her siblings ? 
what about the people who cared for her and nurtured her as she was growing up ? 
do you not think they know what terri wants ? 
when we talk about a permanent vegetative state , i am offended by that . 
terri smiles and acknowledges the people that love her when they come to see her . 
she cries when they leave . 
how heartless are we to call somebody like terri schiavo a vegetable ? 
what are we thinking ? 
when we think about this case , we need to think about the message that we are sending to our children and our grandchildren . 
what we do in this chamber tonight is as important as anything we have done in defending our nation , in doing the things that we do as members of congress . 
when we react to the terri schiavo case , when we think about this legislation tonight , we need to think about the future and the message we are sending to our children and our grandchildren . 
