Fourth Anniversary of Dobbs Decision
Floor Speech
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, today marks the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs decision, reaffirming that the U.S. Constitution does not grant the right to an abortion and rightfully returning the regulatory authority to State legislators.
I am excited to welcome my colleagues to speak on this topic with me. I understand some of my colleagues have commitments. I want to be respectful of the time, so I will have them start us off before I provide my own comments, of course.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague for his distinguished leadership. He has been tenacious.
Mr. Speaker, we have people who will be speaking and some who couldn't be here who have never given up in trying to protect and preserve the lives of women and children from the violence of abortion.
Four years ago today, the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson decision, brilliantly authored by Justice Sam Alito, who is from my hometown of Hamilton in New Jersey, reversed the infamous holdings of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. That decision stated the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected Representatives.
After a half century of death--and it continues, but, hopefully, it will be mitigated and maybe ended in time, but a half century of death, more than 65 million unborn children have been violently killed by either dismemberment, decapitation, or chemical poisoning of some kind through this terrible, terrible policy of abortion on demand.
Thankfully, as a response to this, many States--21 and counting--have responded by passing pro-life laws to protect unborn children and women from the violence of abortion. For example, Georgia, Iowa, Florida, and South Carolina passed laws to protect the unborn child when a heartbeat can be detected at about 6 weeks. Thirteen States, including Texas, protect the lives of unborn children throughout the entirety of pregnancy.
I remind my colleagues that the abortion President, Joe Biden, also acted after Dobbs was enacted. In response to the decision, his Food and Drug Administration allowed women to receive mifepristone, the baby poison, through the mail and without any in-person consultation with a healthcare provider.
This dangerous drug is used now to cause at least 6 out of 10 abortions in the United States. How does it operate? It starves the baby to death.
I work on global hunger issues and food insecurity all the time. I find it outrageous that there is a chemical administered that literally causes the baby to die from malnutrition. It also then expels the baby, and what results is a dead, badly dehydrated and, sadly, hurt, killed baby.
One recent study found that mifepristone is extremely dangerous to women, as well. One in 11 women--10.93 percent to be exact. It was the biggest study ever done on mifepristone--experienced a serious adverse event, sepsis, infection, and hemorrhaging within 45 days of taking the drug. The number of serious adverse events is at least 22 times higher than what the FDA has previously suggested, which was based on egregiously flawed data.
The FDA must now move quickly to investigate the impact of this baby poison not just on the baby but on the mother, as well.
Meanwhile, pro-life lawmakers, including those of us who are pro-life in this Chamber, will continue to write, advocate for, and pass laws to nurture and protect human life.
I suggest to my colleagues that the injustice of abortion violence need not be forever.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his comments.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama for his comments, he is a leader on this issue and always a good voice.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kansas for his comments.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois. I appreciate her message of women and babies and the support that she has put forth in actual legislation.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee for her voice on this.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Minnesota for her remarks.
I yield to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Mrs. Biggs), one of our couple of remaining speakers, who I like to refer to these two new awesome Members as ``the dynamic duo'' from North and South Carolina.
Mrs. BIGGS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for leading on this important topic. As a child of God, as a mother, and as a healthcare provider, this topic is very personal to me.
Mr. Speaker, 4 years ago, the Supreme Court made the right decision in Dobbs and returned the issue of abortion to the American people and their elected representatives.
For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade prevented States from protecting unborn children and advancing policies that reflected the values of their citizens.
Dobbs changed that.
Since then, millions of Americans have had a voice in this debate once again, and countless lives have been protected.
But our work is not finished.
Today, abortion pills account for the majority of abortions in America, and women are increasingly being prescribed these drugs without an in-person medical examination and with little accountability.
That is why I am introducing legislation to strengthen safeguards surrounding the dispensing of abortion drugs and to ensure that women receive the care and protections they deserve.
As we mark this anniversary, I remain committed to defending the unborn, to supporting mothers, and building a culture that values every human life.
Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank Vice Chairman Moore so much for being willing to host this very Special Order.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on this very special anniversary, the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
As has already been stated, 4 years ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the issue of abortion to the American people and their elected representatives. For nearly 50 years, Roe kept States and citizens from fully using their laws to protect unborn children.
Today, we celebrate Dobbs as a victory for the God-given right to life and for the pro-life laws that have protected hundreds of thousands of unborn children since that decision.
Next week, our Nation will celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At our very founding, America declared that every person is endowed by our creator with a right to life. That right belongs to the unborn as surely as it belongs to any one of us.
Every child, born and unborn, is made in the image of God. That gives every child a dignity that no court can create, and no government can deny. Long before a child is seen by the world, that child is seen and known by God and is worthy of protection.
As a father of 3 and a grandfather of 11, I have seen the blessings of children being brought into this world. Through my own family, I know they are among the greatest gifts the Lord gives. Each one deserves the opportunity to be born.
The work of protecting life is far from over, especially as chemical abortion by mail continues to expand across this country. Today, women can order chemical abortion drugs online and receive them at home without ever seeing a doctor in person.
Under the Biden administration, the FDA recklessly removed the in- person dispensing requirement for mifepristone, opening the door for abortion drugs to be sent by mail without direct medical oversight.
These drugs end the life of an unborn child. When they are distributed this way, mothers can be left to face the risks alone. Without an in-person visit, a woman may not receive proper screening for complications. No woman should be sent abortion drugs through the mail and left to face the pain and the aftermath by herself.
My bill that I have introduced, the Teleabortion Prevention Act of 2025, would make it a Federal offense for doctors to send chemical abortion drugs through the mail without providing in-person care before, during, and after the abortion.
As we continue toward the day when every unborn child is protected in law, this bill is a necessary step. It puts essential safeguards back in place and holds providers accountable.
Mr. Speaker, 4 years after Dobbs, the fight for life is not finished. Congress must continue to defend the sanctity of every human life.
On this anniversary, we remember the children who were never given the chance to live; we fight for the children still at risk; and we stand with the mothers who deserve to know that life is still possible.
Again, I thank Vice Chairman Moore for leading this Special Order.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, that was a great message from the gentleman from North Carolina, and I appreciate his voice on this matter.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana, the Speaker, more aptly known by the more prominent title of former vice chair.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate his voice. It is such an important, unique voice, from a law background to legislative on this very important topic.
I am very much looking forward to hearing from our last speaker this evening, the gentlewoman from Florida, who has a very unique experience, being able to talk about this, having just had a child herself. I couldn't think of a better way to end.
I thank all of my colleagues for being willing to come down and carve out extra time from our busy schedules to come talk about this very important issue. I am looking forward to hearing her remarks.
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman and my colleague from Florida. I appreciate her words.
I wanted to just end with a few remarks myself, Mr. Speaker, as we wrap up this evening's Special Order on this very important topic.
Today is an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come to protect the right to life and supporting children, women, and families.
Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs decision reaffirming that the U.S. Constitution does not grant the right to an abortion and rightfully returns regulatory authority to State legislators. It is very plain, and it is very simple. That is what took place 4 years ago.
This decision provided the ability for more comprehensive care, representation, and opportunity for life, and it ensured that States like Utah can make decisions that align with our pro-life and pro- family values.
As a husband and father of four young boys, this is personal. Children are our future, and we must work harder to ensure every child and their mothers have the opportunity and resources to thrive and succeed.
At the end of my first year in office, my youngest son, Franklin, was born. Frankie had an H-type fistula that conjoined his trachea and his esophagus. It is a very rare disease, and he is fortunate to have amazing healthcare. Utah's Primary Children's Hospital is one of the foremost advanced places that actually does this surgery quite a bit.
I will never forget that holding him in the hospital just reminded me of our responsibility in Congress to value and protect the miracle of life and come alongside women who are also in difficult circumstances.
Since then, I have worked hard to pass pro-family legislation making life for working parents easier so no one has to choose between keeping their child and maintaining a livelihood.
I championed legislation to increase and make permanent the child tax credit, to make adoption much more affordable, and to create investment accounts for children providing them a financial launchpad to ease the burden of tuition, internship housing, transportation, and so much more.
By means of investment accounts for kids, they are going to start saving for their retirement at the age of zero as opposed to typically at the age of 30 when we finally get around to doing that.
No one has given credit to our bill last year that literally established investment accounts for children, for babies, for babies born in the next 4 years to get a seeded $1,000 to start an investment account to give them opportunities to help them along the path of life.
Of course, people aren't drawing that correlation. They are not making that connection. We are not hearing from my colleagues on the left that we are doing things that are actually pro-family and actually pro-life. This particular issue just becomes a very toxic and horrible debate back and forth. However, when we actually look at what we have done, we are trying to focus on that next generation.
Sincerely, giving investment accounts to children, Trump accounts, starting them off on the path towards accruing something that they would have otherwise maybe never even invested in, they are going to start that when they are zero. All they have to do is sign up for it.
We are focused on life, and we are focused on improving families. There is no question about it. Our policies are directly related towards it.
As a member of both the House Values Action Team and Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, I have stood up to attempts to increase access to abortion, advocated for language restricting Federal funding for abortion, and signed legal briefs opposing mail-order abortion pills and requirements for employers to give time off for abortions.
Our focus in Congress should be focused on ensuring that every child has opportunities, no matter the circumstances of their conception or birth, and that pregnant women and mothers have the resources they need to be supported throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
I am proud of the progress we have made since that decision 4 years ago. We have passed legislation to support critical, comprehensive services for women in need, make it easier for working-class families to earn money and raise children, and support the rights and dignity of our most vulnerable.
Yes, we have much more work to do. The right to life is paramount, and I am eager to continue our work on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who have all shared messages tonight, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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