Protecting the lives of the unborn

Jan. 22nd marked the 37th anniversary of the controversial Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, and, as they do each year, people from many different cultural and religious backgrounds traveled to our nation’s Capitol to call attention to the pro-life cause. It’s truly encouraging to witness the great solidarity exhibited by all of these people of various backgrounds as they join together to fight for the lives of the unborn.

And make no mistake, the struggle to protect the unborn and promote the right to life continues. Millions of faithful Americans have poured their time, energy, and prayers into the difficult task of building a culture of life. As we press forward in this great cause of our time, I’m constantly humbled and refreshed by the examples of the many who participate in the March for Life and the millions more who work every day in their communities to protect the most vulnerable among us.

I, and many of my fellow members of Congress, have kept post at the forefront of the debate by offering legislation that protects the unborn and advocates on behalf Americans who believe that their federal tax money should not go to pay for something they find abhorrent.

We saw this issue play out in the present health care debate in Congress when a bipartisan group of House members successfully supported the “Stupak amendment.” This provision guaranteed that the same pro-life protections, which have been a principle in federal law since the 1976 “Hyde provision” would also be present in the health care bill currently under consideration.

The “Hyde provision” refers to Congressman Henry Hyde’s amendment that restricted the use of federal funds for abortions in the 1976 Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill.

I was proud to support a similar amendment when the health care bill was debated in the Senate, though the Senate provision fell just short of being attached to the bill. I also authored an amendment in 2008 to add the Hyde provisions to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

The Interior Appropriations Bill, which funds the Indian Health Service, does not contain a “Hyde provision,” which means that federal IHS funds can still be used to pay for abortions. My amendment sought to permanently close this loophole, but after the Senate adopted my amendment to the 2008 IHS bill, pro-choice advocates forced Democratic leaders to not move the Indian Health Bill toward becoming law in fear that it would create a precedent for other like-minded pro-life policies.

In the last session of Congress, I offered a Title X amendment to the U.S. Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill to close the loophole that currently allows taxpayer funding to be used to pay for administrative costs and other services offered by abortion providers, freeing up money for abortion practices. Unfortunately, the amendment failed by a vote of 41-52, but the drive to make this important policy change carries on.

At the beginning of this new Congress, many pro-life Americans were rightfully apprehensive about how aggressively the pro-choice lobby would push its agenda.

One particularly onerous piece of legislation that is cause for concern is the Freedom of Choice Act. FOCA would nullify all state and federal laws that restrict access to abortion.

It would overturn partial-birth abortion bans, eliminate parental notification statutes, and force taxpayers to fund abortion.

FOCA would also invalidate numerous federal and state laws regarding full disclosure to the patient and conscience protections for health care providers. In short, it is a radical assault against the culture of life that we’ve worked so hard to build, and on this Roe v. Wade anniversary, it’s critical that pro-life Americans fight to ensure that their voices and concerns are heard about this divisive bill. While FOCA has not yet been introduced in the 111th Congress, I’ve already signaled my intent to use every procedural tool under my senatorial rights to “hold” or block this bill from moving forward in the Senate.

Throughout America, thousands upon thousands of our fellow citizens work daily to bring about the end of the horrible practice of abortion in our country.

I and my colleagues who support those dedicated citizens who want a greater culture of life in our society will continue to bring their concerns and arguments to bear on the issues we debate in Congress.