Every January since 1979, Americans across the country have come together to advocate for the sanctity of human life. The tragic Roe v. Wade decision on January 22, 1973, quickly made it clear that giving a voice to the voiceless was vital, and our nation’s pro-life community has continued to grow and spread the word that life begins at conception ever since. Last Friday tens of thousands of Americans marched in Washington, DC to again, champion the pro-life cause and celebrate the movement’s success.  

2022 was the most significant year for the pro-life community in modern history. In June, the United States Supreme Court overturned the tragic Roe v. Wade decision which took the lives of millions of innocent babies. The Supreme Court is charged with interpreting the law, not writing it, but Roe v. Wade did just that. This summer’s decision restores the Constitutional rights of Americans, the legal legislative process, and most importantly, will protect those who cannot protect themselves. Now the people’s elected representatives are in charge of writing laws regarding abortion which means citizens, not the Court, will dictate the treatment of abortion going forward – just as the Constitution intended. 

House Republicans are committed to continuing to protect our nation’s most vulnerable population with our majority, and we’ve already passed legislation that will help do that. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act – which I was proud to cosponsor – was one of our very first actions and passed on the House floor on January 11^th. As the name states, this bill provides basic protections and support for babies who are born alive after failed abortions. It is heartbreaking that legislation to provide basic medical care for living, breathing babies is even necessary, but that is unfortunately the case. The Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act requires health care practitioners to provide the same standard of medical care for these tiny survivors as any other person; it creates criminal penalties for those who refuse; and most importantly under this law, any person who intentionally kills an abortion survivor – a human life – would be charged with murder. These seem like basic requirements, but with radical anti-life policies in our country, passing this legislation is paramount to protect people born in the United States. 

And last week, I introduced my own bill to defend and protect the unborn. The Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act would put an end to the horrific practice of trafficking infant body parts for profit and ensures taxpayers never have to foot the bill for the endangerment of human life. More specifically, it will prohibit conducting or supporting any research involving human fetal tissue that is obtained via an induced abortion. It is shocking that such an unethical medical practice like this is taking place in modern day America, but it is all too common. This bill seeks to remedy this horrible situation and I am optimistic about its passage with the help of my pro-life colleagues in Congress.

2022 was a landmark year for the pro-life movement. The days of blanket protection for the indiscriminate destruction of life is finally over. Now it is time for legislators in enact responsible laws that ensure the government is no longer supporting and promoting abortion, and I plan to do just that.