Rep. Schmidt says women have responsibility to reject abortion

Schmidt was speaking in a special order speech that featured her and other members of the Pro-Life Women’s Caucus. She gave a nod to Women’s History Month by saying women such as Susan B. Anthony opposed abortion, and quoted a letter from Anthony that said “the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed” of abortion.

Schmidt added that abortion robs the country of people who might grow up to make important contributions, citing President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) as examples.

“I mean, you look at our president,” she said. “Do you think when he was born his mom thought he was going to be the president of the United States? I seriously doubt it. He didn’t come from a dynasty of presidents. He’s just an ordinary person born from an ordinary mom. But he, you know, had the opportunity and the privilege to live in America and become the president.”

On Boehner, she said, “I daresay, his parents never thought he’d be Speaker of the House. They were ordinary people. They owned a bar. They had 12 kids.”

Schmidt blamed support for abortion on the view that life does not begin at conception.

“Today, ever more so, the assault of life is all around us, and I believe that assault to life is there because we don’t recognize the meaning of life at its conception,” she said. “And when you compromise it at its conception, I think you question the validity of life all the way through to its end.”

Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) used the floor time to cite statistics stating that women who have had abortions are more likely to commit suicide, and are more likely to suffer from stress disorders or depression.

Schmidt encouraged the House to oppose federal funding of abortion, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) argued that 70 percent of women polled in 2009 opposed federal funding.