The Pro-Life Caucus

Floor Speech

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Mr. HULTGREN. Thank you, Chairman Smith. Thank you for your incredible work on this issue. I rise today to remember with sadness the 41 years since the Supreme Court's sweeping ROE v. WADE decision. More than 55 million have lost their lives to abortion; but after that fateful January, the pro-life movement was born. As Americans United for Life put it, the pro-life movement desires a Nation in which everyone is welcome in life and protected in law.

Many warriors have taken up that cause. Next week, many thousands will make the pilgrimage to the March for Life here in Washington to mark and protest the havoc ROE v. WADE has left in its wake. Pro-life warrior, Nellie Gray, started the march, and this annual event has rallied Americans and exposed the brutality of this procedure.

A country complicit in taking thousands of lives each day tarnishes a legacy of liberty and justice for all. Defending human life at all stages shouldn't be a political issue. Defending human life is a moral issue. It is a moral outrage and a violation of religious liberty for any American to be forced to participate in the funding of abortion.

No one believed this more than the late Honorable Henry Hyde. Another warrior for life, and my hero and mentor, Henry Hyde represented the Illinois Sixth Congressional District for 33 years. His crowning achievement, the Hyde amendment, barred the use of taxpayer funds for abortion. Congress has reaffirmed this amendment over and over again.

We must protect this principle by passing bills like the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, a bill which would make the Hyde amendment permanent and government-wide. No one should be coerced into paying for a procedure that violates their conscience.

Another warrior for life, Irene Napier, is a woman who lives in the district I represent, the 14th District of Illinois. This Crystal Lake resident has dedicated her life to defending the unborn. Now president emeritus of Right to Life of McHenry County, through the years Irene has stood up to the truth that every child should be given a chance to be loved and wanted.

Every human life has inherent dignity that is worth protecting. When we allow abortion, we are really saying that human lives are disposable, that we can throw away anything or anyone that inconveniences us. But people like Irene, Henry, and Nellie and all of us who claim to be pro-life know that notion is repugnant, and we reject it. Each child and each mother is a unique gift. No one--no one--should throw that gift away.

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