Speech #1040191055

For that reason. the medical community has spoken out loudly against this amendment. They did so when it was presented in California in the form of proposition 187 and they have done so since. I think we ought to ask ourselves also as Americans if it is not a departure from our normal basic view of our obligation to each other as human beings to discourage an illegal immigrant who has been in a car wreck or has suddenly been stricken by a heart attack or by any other emergency to tell them. "You better not go to the emergency room. because if you do theyre going to give your name and address to the INS and youre going to be deported." In every other instance we ought to do all we can to catch them and deport them if they are not here legally. In the instance of emergency rooms. it is cruel and wrong to do it. We have tried to put together a bill here that leaves off the extremes of proposition 187 and leaves off whatever extremes might have been brought to the bill from the left. as well. This is an extreme from the right. It is wrong for our people. it is very bad for public health. it is a nightmare for hospitals. and it is flatly wrong. morally wrong. to have a system in place where somebody who has been badly injured cannot go and get treatment. is afraid to go and get treatment. The sponsor says. "Well. this is different because it doesnt involve children." Members know very well that the word is going to go out to people that are here as undocumented aliens that "you cant go to the hospital because no matter what your reason for going. theyre going to turn you in to the INS." and that is going to end up applying to children as well. For goodness sakes. let us leave sacrosanct the two things that we have always made as exceptions to this whole debate. and. that is. education of children and emergency room treatment. I reiterate one more time. the law does not allow for medical care or any other public service to be extended to people that are here illegally.