By Congressman Dr. John Joyce
This week, America marked another solemn anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion across our country. Since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 1973, pro-life Americans have joined together to denounce this evil and defend the sanctity of all human life.
My commitment to life is rooted in the unequivocal truth that every person is created in the image of God. As image bearers, each of us is deserving of fundamental protections – including the right to life.
As a young doctor, I took an oath to protect all human life. Throughout my career, I have lived by the Hippocratic Oath and its core tenets. As technology advances, doctors and scientists continue to grow in our knowledge and understanding of human life. In my own lifetime alone, I have witnessed remarkable medical innovation – from lifesaving treatments to groundbreaking vaccines and novel tools that equip doctors to better care for patients. With incredible advancements in modern sonograms and imaging, there can be no doubt that a child in the womb is a living person.
When I came to Congress, I pledged to serve as a steadfast advocate for life. In recent years, we made unprecedented progress for the dignity of life. Today, however, the mission ahead is more daunting than ever before.
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden began dismantling the Trump Administration’s legacy. From energy and education to national security and the economy, none of President Biden’s policy-rollbacks are more grievous than his attempts to unravel President Donald Trump’s pro-life achievements.
For years, the Mexico City Policy has restricted foreign organizations that receive American aid from funding abortions. As with Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama before him, President Biden is expected to repeal this policy and once again force American taxpayers to foot the bill for abortions in foreign countries.
Additionally, President Biden has signaled that he will restore federal funding to Planned Parenthood and similar organizations by rescinding the Trump Administration’s restrictions to the Title X program, which blocked taxpayer funds from being used to support abortion providers.
While our new president says that he wants to build unity in America, his actions speak louder than words. Rather than choosing to focus on defeating the COVID-19 pandemic or creating jobs, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have prioritized radical policies that expand unfettered access to abortion – a blatant disregard for millions of pro-life Americans.
Now more than ever, as Democrats take control of both the House and Senate, pro-life lawmakers must recommit to standing firm for the unborn. To combat the Biden-Harris Administration’s extreme pro-abortion agenda, we will pursue a robust legislative campaign to preserve the sanctity of life.
From the outset, pro-life members of Congress will continue our dogged pursuit to pass the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Act, commonsense legislation to ensure that all children born alive after a botched abortion attempt will be given medical care. In the previous Congress, we garnered more than 200 bipartisan signatures on a discharge petition to force a vote on this legislation. Though we fell short of the required signatures, we will persist in our efforts to require Speaker Nancy Pelosi to allow a clean vote on this lifesaving legislation.
It also is paramount that we preserve the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. Since 1976, this protection has been attached to all legislation passed in Congress, preventing American taxpayer dollars from funding abortions against their will. Now, repealing this imperiled measure is at the top of Democrats’ wish list. After long supporting Hyde Amendment protections as a senator, President Biden himself recently flip-flopped and now supports rescinding this measure. It is wholly reprehensible to require pro-life Americans to pay for abortions against their conscience, and I will always advocate to preserve this pro-life protection.
Yes, there are battles ahead, but we are not without hope. As we read in the book of Romans, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
As this new era of our nation’s history begins, pro-life Americans must remain united by our convictions to stand for life and protect the most vulnerable among us. Our enduring commitment to protect image bearers and defend the sanctity of life will prevail.
Congressman John Joyce (R) represents Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District, which includes Franklin County.
