Life

This week, pro-life Americans marked the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v Jackson 2022 ruling which restored states’ ability to affirm the constitutional right to life for unborn children. For nearly five decades prior, the hopeful witness of pro-life advocates, perseverance of pregnancy centers tirelessly serving their local communities, and faithful work of many at multiple levels of public service planted the seeds for a culture of life, which continues to grow to the benefit of mothers, babies, and fathers in need of hope.

As a cosponsor of the Life at Conception Act, which would implement equal protection for all people, born and preborn, as guaranteed in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, I recognize the pro-life movement has more work to do. Since the Dobbs decision, Nebraska and many other states have moved to establish greater pro-life safeguards, including protection recently enshrined in our state Constitution.

At the federal level, the Hyde Amendment, traditionally attached to annual appropriations bills, prohibits federal funding of abortion procedures. I have long supported ending federal taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, whose 2023-2024 annual report showed it performed more than 402,000 abortions—a record number. With House passage of the reconciliation package in May of this year, I voted to defund the organization, which performs approximately 40 percent of abortions annually.

This week, the Supreme Court upheld the state of South Carolina’s determination Planned Parenthood does not qualify to receive Medicaid funds. Before the oral arguments in this case, I joined my colleagues in the House and Senate in signing on to an amicus brief supporting South Carolina’s position. This is a win for states like Nebraska, which moved to redirect federal funding from abortion providers in 2019. It is significant to remember pro-life pregnancy centers and community health clinics vastly outnumber Planned Parenthood locations. Ensuring taxpayer dollars go where they can best serve pregnant women and children in need is vitally important.

In Congress, likeminded colleagues and I are working hard to improve support for solutions such as the miracle of adoption and modernize programs to better serve the specific needs of less fortunate Americans everywhere. As part of the 2024 reauthorization of programs under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, I led the Youth and Family Engagement in Child Welfare Act, which requires states to consult with children and families with relevant lived experiences when crafting their state child welfare plans. Simple innovations like this can go a long way in ensuring federal dollars are used as effectively as possible to make a positive impact in our communities.

The 14th Amendment’s right to life is fundamental to all other rights. Rights to free speech, privacy, religious exercise, peaceful assembly, or any other are not available to anyone without this protection for the lives of individuals as they come into the world. Ronald Reagan once captured the irony of this when he said, “I’ve noticed that everybody that is for abortion, has already been born.” As a movement of love and compassion, the pro-life cause aims to provide life-giving options for those in need.

###