Restoring a Culture of Life

In the 49 years since the Roe v. Wade decision, the pro-life movement has displayed remarkable commitment and resolve. Decades of steady, grassroots efforts by pro-life advocates are yielding not just state-level legislation which recognizes the humanity of unborn children but a growing culture of life which seeks to compassionately connect with expectant mothers who lack support.

Unfortunately, many misconceptions persist about Roe v. Wade itself. According to the Research Management Group, 77 percent of voters mistakenly think overturning the 1973 landmark case would make abortion illegal in the United States. In fact, eliminating Roe would instead open the question of first and second trimester abortion restrictions to each individual state. Currently, the ruling effectively guarantees abortion on demand up to the point in a pregnancy at which a baby is able survive outside the womb, an arbitrary point roughly at the start of the third trimester. This is despite the fact—amazingly—medical science has improved the expected survival of premature babies by about a week every 10 years since 1973. Sadly, The New York Times has reported this places the United States among just over a dozen countries with the worst human rights records, such as China and North Korea, which allow elective abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

While Gallup polling shows a majority of Americans support some level of legal protection for the unborn, much remains to be done to secure their right to life and advance pro-life, pro-family policymaking. Look no further than the push by some Senate Democrats this week to permit late-term abortions. Dubiously titled the Women's Health Protection Act, the radical measure would go so far as to nullify nearly every existing and future state law which limits abortion, thereby permitting abortion for any reason at any point during pregnancy nationwide. The bill would also eliminate the Hyde Amendment which has guarded taxpayers from funding abortions for nearly 50 years. This was the second time this year Senate Democrats failed to pass a version of the Women's Health Protection Act after a prior version passed by the House failed in February. I strongly opposed this bill, and I'm grateful Senators Fischer and Sasse joined the bipartisan opposition to this radical measure.

Rather than calling for such extreme policies in the week following our nation's celebration of Mother's Day, Congress should act to affirm the dignity of every person made in God's image, regardless of age, health, sex, race, degree of dependency, or stage of development. I am an original cosponsor of the Life at Conception Act, a bill to provide equal protection for every human being under the 14th Amendment. As a member of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, I have deep convictions concerning abortion, and I will never waver in protecting the right to life of the unborn.

As the Supreme Court appears poised to release a historic ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson case, it is important the integrity and decision of the court be honored and maintained. Few political issues are so sensitive, and our nation has a critical need to demonstrate love and compassion. We must also continue to support women navigating unplanned pregnancies. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are over 2,500 life-affirming pregnancy resource centers in America, outnumbering the locations of abortion facilities three times over. The communities who come together to operate these centers deserve our ongoing support. I am encouraged by these efforts, but I also realize there is more work to do. In addition to supporting pro-life policies, we must also support policies that pave the way for every American child to live in a loving home and for every family to have access to abundant economic opportunity.

While seeing each state's constitutional authority to protect life restored would be a renewed call to work on behalf of mothers, fathers, and children in need, it would also be a significant and hard-earned victory for the pro-life movement. The lessons we have learned in the last half century will help build a future in which abortion is unthinkable within a culture of life.