Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Roe V. Wade Decision

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for her leadership with this incredibly important Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight during this Special Order to reaffirm my commitment to protect and defend the sanctity of life.

From the moment I stepped foot into this Chamber in 2009, I cemented my promise to protect our most vulnerable, the unborn.

Our Founders enshrined in the Declaration of Independence three inalienable rights. The first is the right to life.

Tonight, we celebrate the right to life. Last year, the Supreme Court made it clear, determining the right to an abortion is the responsibility of the State, through the people and their elected officials.

Mr. Speaker, life matters. Friday marked the first March for Life since the end of Roe v. Wade. Tens of thousands convened in Washington to celebrate the change from a national culture of death to one of life.

The evidence that life matters goes well beyond the Supreme Court, however, and the Supreme Court ruling that was finally delivered in 2022, shifting the defense of the innocent unborn to 50 State capitols.

Here is the evidence of why we should also celebrate, in addition to that ruling. In the United States, there are 2,500 pregnancy resource centers that support unborn babies and their parents. There are only 800 abortion clinics in this Nation. That is an amazing shift in numbers. Of the practicing OB/GYN doctors, 90 percent do not perform abortions.

God bless the pregnancy resource center staff that educate, encourage, and empower men and women to make informed life choices based on Christian principles and values, their trained client advocates and medical personnel, including registered nurses, certified phlebotomy technicians, and registered diagnostic medical sonographers.

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.

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