Pro-life Leaders Offer a Sharp Contrast to the White House and Vice President Kamala Harris

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, January 24, pro-life legislators in both the House and Senate spoke out on behalf of the right to life.

These speeches followed, by just a few days, the speech of Vice President Kamala Harris in Florida where she notably quoted the Declaration of Independence but left out the first right—the right to life.

“It’s not surprising that Kamala Harris left out the right to life when she quoted the Declaration of Independence,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “The Biden-Harris Administration has worked lockstep with the abortion industry to push, promote, and expand abortion in almost every way possible.”

Tobias continued, “In contrast, Tuesday’s speeches by some of the pro-life champions in the House and Senate mourned the loss of life through abortion and celebrated the efforts of the pro-life movement in protecting women and their unborn children. We praise pro-life members of the House and Senate for their commitment to Life.” 

The following are highlights from Tuesday’s speeches:

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.)—

The issue of abortion gets to the heart about what it means to be human. Who counts as one of us? Why can brutally killing a baby before birth be justified simply because the baby is inconvenient, imperfect, unwanted, unplanned, or dependent on her mother? Rather than answer these questions about the humanity of the child in the womb—the child sucking her thumb, the child whose heart is beating, and the child whose sonogram pictures are cherished as proof of life—the abortion industry wants you to look away from the baby.

Senator John Thune (R-S.D.)—

I have been very outspoken on this floor about my frustration with the Biden administration. I have not held back on this because they are the most pro-abortion Presidency in American history. They actively work on increasing the number of abortions in America, and I find that not only appalling, I find that painful, that we as a nation have a policy of finding ways to increase the death of children. That is not who we should be as a nation. We should be working to be able to protect the life of every single child.

Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.)—

We always have and always will support the treatment of women suffering from the always-life-threatening condition of an ectopic pregnancy. The radical activists, who wildly claim ectopic pregnancies will be left untreated because of this Court decision, are simply misinformed and dangerously practice fearmongering tactics. For a physician to not treat ectopic pregnancies would be, No. 1, unethical, as well as, No. 2, below the standard of care for every community in America.

Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)—

While it is good for us to celebrate the Dobbs decision, as Senators, we must remember that the fight for life in the United States is far from finished. Our work to enact pro-life policies must continue if we are to be a voice for the voiceless.

Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.)—

Over the last five decades, more than 60 million unborn lives have been taken and a tragic, irreversible mark has been left on countless mothers, fathers, and families. While there is still so much work to be done, I stand here hopeful. The prolife community is stronger than ever. With last year’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision, this country is beginning to move in the right direction to defend the defenseless and support life. We are changing hearts and minds.

Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas)—

Today, we continue to recognize the dignity of every individual and fight for the most fundamental right of all: the right to life. Our instincts were always right. Science has revealed it is not just a clump of cells in the womb. At 15 weeks, babies suck their thumbs, kick, jump, have fully developed hearts, and can feel pain. What looks like a baby in the womb, revealed to us through ultrasound technology, is in fact a baby when they are born.

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.)—

Although giving the power on how to handle the issues of abortion back to the States through the favorable Dobbs ruling is a big win, it does not mean the work of the pro-life movement is done. Action at the State and local level will only grow in importance in the coming years. I will continue to be a voice for the voiceless.

Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah)—

All Americans want women and their babies to be safe, loved, and empowered, no matter their situation or socioeconomic status. I believe Americans are capable of seizing this moment and coming together to support those facing tremendous challenges and uncertainty.

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.)—

Thankfully, the victorious Dobbs ruling overturned Roe v. Wade last year, rightfully returning the issue of abortion back to the States. However, while we champion this momentous win in the fight for the unborn, we cannot forget the millions of lives lost to the evils of abortion.

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.)—

I rise to remember the lives lost due to the Roe v. Wade decision. There are an estimated 64 million American souls who are missing as a result. We gather today on this 50th anniversary, solemnly, but hopefully. As Members of Congress, we are tasked with representing our constituents, even the unborn ones. I will always speak out and fight to protect the sanctity of these lives.

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas)—

Tragically, Mr. Speaker, my Democratic colleagues would rather spread lies about the Supreme Court decision than to tell the truth…They may refuse the truth because it doesn’t further their anti-life agenda, but they can’t change it. The truth is that the reversal of Roe v. Wade returned the power to where it belongs, and that is to States.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.)—

On June 24, 2022, the United States of America declared to the world that, once again, our Nation will embrace the intrinsic worth and value of every human life. This is a reminder, however, that our work is not yet done. We will continue to work and convince hearts and minds that the culture of life is worth preserving. May all those who work to promote the cause of life forever know that their cause is true, their cause is beautiful, and their cause is good.

Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.)—

Our Founding Fathers enshrined in the Declaration of Independence the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I thought it very telling that our Vice President was speaking on this very issue just the other day, and she only mentioned two of those unalienable rights—only two of them. She left out life. I think she left out life because that is where we are at now. We talk about a culture of death, and we don’t talk about life. Our Nation cannot sit idly by as 1 million unborn children have this life taken from them every year—every year. This is advancing the normalizing of this culture of death.

Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.)—

I am heartened by the Supreme Court’s reversal of this decision in Dobbs v. Jackson last year and the countless lives that will now be saved each year. For me and my family, the sanctity of life is deeply personal. Nearly 20 years ago, my wife, Jodi, and I became parents of a baby born with Down syndrome. Whenever I look at my son, Isaac, I see a miracle of God’s special gift to our family.

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)—

Nearly 1 million unborn children are expected to die in 2023 from abortion in the United States of America where protecting life is our highest calling, where we are the first responder anywhere in the world anytime there is an attack on life, anytime there is a tragedy, and anytime there is a need for somebody to come there to try and save lives, and yet, in 2023, 1 million of the unborn will be aborted. It is incredible to me that in a nation that has been blessed for so long with so much can turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the cries of the unborn. My question is: Where is the outrage of my fellow Americans?

Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.)—

We cannot forget the devastating impact that Roe v. Wade caused on families and the unborn. That devastation would have continued if Dobbs v. Jackson—a case that proudly originated in my home State of Mississippi—had not come before the Supreme Court and opened the pathway to allow States to protect life.

Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.)—

Although the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, we cannot forget the lives that were lost during those almost 50 devastating years. The lives lost during the Roe era must serve as a reminder of why we continue to fight for life. I have said before, and I will continue to say, that I am pro-life, I am profamily, and I am pro-child.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.)—

Mr. Speaker, as has been mentioned, prior to 1973, there would be what I would consider a consensus in this country that it would be horrific to prematurely kill a child in the womb. At the time, as a practical matter, there were only two or three States in which abortion was legal, and there were times in this country before then in which every State considered abortion illegal.

Rep. Thompson (R-Pa.)—

Mr. Speaker, my position on life has always been clear. You can’t be a champion for the future of this great country if you are going to limit its potential. It is my strong belief that every child, every human life, is sacred and has a purpose in this world.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.