I can think of no fight more noble or important than defending unborn children. The Scriptures make clear that God makes every person in His image, so this issue is very near to my heart. I am proud to be a leader in the fight to end abortion. With the election of President Trump, we have never been closer.
Just last week, two very important pro-life bills received a majority vote in the Senate! The first was the Born Alive Survivors Protection Act. This bill is common sense. It just requires abortionists to provide the same medical care to a baby born alive in a failed abortion as they would an infant born prematurely at the same age. The second was the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which says abortions cannot be permitted when the child can feel pain, about 20 weeks. Only seven countries in the world permit these terrible late term abortions, sadly including the United States.
Unfortunately, Democrats in the Senate filibustered both these bills, preventing them from advancing despite a majority of senators supporting. Speaker Pelosi has used similar tactics. She has forbidden these bills, and many other pro-life bills, from even receiving a vote. After Virginia’s governor said he would allow children who survive an abortion to die, I came to the floor and tried to call up the Born Alive Survivors Protection Act. Pelosi cut off my mic. Since gaining power last year, she has blocked my colleagues and me from bringing up this legislation over 80 times!
Democrats can pull these stunts, but the truth is the American people are not on their side. According to a Susan B. Anthony List poll, 77% of Americans believe that Congress should protect babies born alive after a failed abortion. And 62% oppose legislation allowing late-term abortions. The Democrats may have used procedural gimmicks to stop us for now, but we will prevail in the fight against abortion.
This week the Supreme Court will hear arguments in one of the most important abortion cases in years. The Supreme Court hopefully will end the practice of allowing abortion businesses, such as Planned Parenthood, to sue to block pro-life laws. Federal courts have twisted the rules to give them what is called “standing,” allowing big abortion businesses to file expensive lawsuits against pro-life states like Alabama. Changing this rule could be a game changing moment, as lawsuits are one of the biggest hold ups in making progress in the pro-life movement.
That is why appointing conservative judges to the Supreme Court and other federal courts is so important in the fight against abortion. President Trump has kept his promise to give us judges that will be pro-life. With the successful confirmations of Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, it is now possible that we could see further changes to the court’s position on abortion. These appointments are on top of the many other pro-life efforts of the Trump administration. Just this week, President Trump’s regulation that will defund Planned Parenthood from receiving federal family planning dollars will go completely into effect!
It saddens me beyond measure that abortion is permitted inside this great country. How long can a nation that practices abortion and infanticide continue to be great? I believe wholeheartedly that mass abortions will be one of the greatest stains on this nation’s history. I am fully committed to fighting for life and protecting the unborn. The cause is too important to sit on the sidelines.
U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne is a Republican from Fairhope. He is a 2020 candidate for the U.S. Senate.
