mr. speaker , in a country that espouses the importance of protecting the inherent rights of every person , abortion denies the rights of our most innocent and vulnerable members , our children . 
as legislators , we have the great responsibility to strive to uphold the truths upon which our great country was founded , especially that every individual is entitled to life , liberty , and the pursuit of happiness . 
abortion is not a sign that women are `` free to choose. '' it is a sign that women have been abandoned . 
they have not had the support and care that they so desperately need . 
rather , abortion is the only option offered . 
abortion is one of the greatest scourges of our time . 
it is a sign that we have not met the needs of women . 
women deserve better than abortion . 
it is a crime against humanity which not only takes the innocent life of a child but also profoundly alters the life of the mother . 
women possess dignity and intrinsic beauty , and abortion tears them apart at the very core of their being . 
i am proud to have had the opportunity to join with such dynamic pro-life women as patricia heaton , the costar of the tv show everybody loves raymond . 
she is an outspoken advocate for women and for the protection of the rights of the unborn . 
this past week , i met with patricia while she was in washington meeting with members of congress and staff members discussing the crucial need that we have as a society to strive to address the real challenges facing pregnant women and promoting women-centered solutions to significantly reduce abortion and protect women 's health . 
i am pleased to be associated with organizations that work to increase public awareness of the devastation that abortion brings to women , men and their families . 
these organizations ensure that the emotional and physical pain of abortion will no longer be shrouded in secrecy and silence but rather exposed and healed . 
this past year , the pro-life movement has enjoyed many major victories in congress . 
we have seen the passage of legislation protecting the sanctity of life and addressing the critical needs of women . 
the partial birth abortion ban was signed into law by president bush . 
the unborn victims of violence act also passed the house . 
i have worked together with my colleagues here in congress and with president bush to defend the intrinsic rights of all citizens , especially the most defenseless . 
i am pleased to note that today the house committee on the judiciary held a markup of my bill , h.r. 748 , the child interstate abortion notification act , ciana . 
it was referred favorably as amended out of committee by a 20 to 13 margin and should be brought to the floor for a vote soon . 
this critical legislation makes it a federal offense to knowingly transport a minor across a state line with the intent that she obtain an abortion in circumvention of a state 's parental consent or parental notification law . 
ciana also requires that a parent or , if necessary , a legal guardian be notified pursuant to a default federal parental notification rule when a minor crosses state lines to obtain an abortion , unless one of several carefully drawn exceptions is met . 
a minor who is forbidden to drink alcohol , to stay past a certain hour or to get her ears pierced without parental consent is certainly not prepared to make a life-altering , hazardous and potentially fatal decision such as obtaining an abortion without the consultation or the consent of at least one parent . 
my legislation will close a loophole that allows adults not only to help minors break state laws by obtaining an abortion without parental consent but is also , unfortunately , contributing to ending the life of an innocent child . 
we will close that loophole . 
i am hopeful that in this 109th session of congress we will be successful in securing the rights of parents once and for all , and i encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill . 
we have a great responsibility as a nation to maintain a true reverence for vulnerable human life and to continue to build a culture of life . 
i will continue to work to ensure that the precious gift of life and the dignity of womanhood are promoted and protected at every level . 
