It Is Our National Duty to Fight for the Unborn
The United States is rare in the course of human history — a completely representative government based on the self-evident truth that all men are created equal and have certain unalienable rights given to them by God almighty. It was both a principle applicable, as Abraham Lincoln famously said, to “all men at all times” and a solemn promise to future generations of Americans. Today, as the March for Life marks the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the movement to protect unborn life is one of the most critical we face in service to that principle, fulfillment of that promise, and — if we’re honest to ourselves — the future preservation of the country that was founded that hot July day in 1776.
To begin, we must take note of the commendable and remarkable work that has been done for the sake of the unborn in the past few decades. Currently, the level of abortions performed every year is lower than the years leading up to 1973. According to a Marist poll released last January, 7 in 10 Americans would restrict abortion to, at most, the first three months of a pregnancy, while 8 in 10 believe that laws can protect both mothers and unborn children. According to more Marist numbers released this week, almost 6 in 10 Americans oppose taxpayer funding for abortion.
These numbers are not insignificant, and they are a testament to the hard work that the pro-life movement has engaged in over the course of decades to bring American hearts and minds to the cause of human life. However, there is still work to be done and there are indeed dangers ahead — largely driven by a radical cadre of activists and their followers in public office.
In the decades following the Supreme Court’s tragic error in 1973, roughly 62 million of our fellow Americans have been killed in the womb. Today, nearly 1 million abortions are still conducted in this country every year. These are not just numbers, and they are not just developing clumps of cells. These are extinguished human souls who were robbed of the chance to live, to grow, to seek the truth, and to leave their mark on this world. Just as liberty is essential to life, life is essential to reaping the blessings of liberty. Both are essential to the true meaning of human happiness, that is truly living a life well-lived.
And, try as some might, the only way to escape the light of that truth is through the smoke and shadows of inhuman euphemism. We rarely hear about “abortion” from its supporters. Rather, we are subjected to an endless stream of sterilized terms like “reproductive health care” and “women’s health,” despite the logical reality that voluntarily taking innocent life has nothing to do with health at all. In recent remarks, President Biden couldn’t even bring himself to mention the word abortion. Such is what happens when the truth of something is so truly gruesome and contradictory to our better conscience as human beings.
But despite the climate of public opinion and despite the inescapable reality unborn life, human biology and unborn life, the Biden Administration — cheered on by the pro-abortion extremists at organizations like Planned Parenthood — is barreling forward with a radical abortion agenda. I recently joined with hundreds of my House colleagues to publicly oppose the public funding of abortion, but the assault on the Hyde Amendment is just the tip of the iceberg. President Biden has also indicated his Administration will repeal the revamped “Mexico City Policy” which prevents taxpayer funding for global health programs from funding foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that perform, that promote abortion as a family planning method. The Administration is also slated to review Trump Administration decisions that led to cutting off federal funding to referral organizations such as Planned Parenthood.
These actions are completely out of step with a country where most people think abortion should be restricted, not expanded. And therein lies the divisive danger to our Republic.
While there is never a right time to push forward on the destruction of unborn life, pushing this radical, one-sided agenda forward at a time when tensions in our country are so high would be a dangerously reckless. Those who believe in the cause of the unborn hold it deeply. It is a deep conviction of the conscience, regardless of whether it is motivated by religion, philosophy, or both. If President Biden really values “unity,” as he claims, then forcing through a radical agenda that violates the deepest convictions of half the country when our civic bond is so fragile is the wrong way to pursue it. It will only beget more strife between our fellow citizens and will be remembered by history as not only an affront to America’s values, but a gross error in judgement at a critical time.
But even if President Biden cannot see the gravity and the implications of this moment, my pro-life colleagues and I do. We will fight for the unborn and fight for the consciences of those all over the country. That is our duty to this country, to our founders’ vision, and to generations of Americans left unborn.
Hon. Charles Eugene "Chip" Roy serves as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 21st congressional district.
