Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court failed to honor the right to life, the most basic human right enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, in its Roe v. Wade decision.
Since then, the political Left and the radical abortion industry have attempted to sell young women on the idea that killing babies in their wombs represents a “solution” to a “problem.”
On Saturday, we honor the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s pro-life ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a significant victory upholding the sanctity of life. The decision marked both a momentous triumph and the dawn of a fresh chapter in the ongoing battle to protect innocent lives.
The battle for life continues, so I am proud to introduce two bills in the House of Representatives: the Parental Notification and Intervention Act and the Dignity for Aborted Children Act.
These pieces of legislation would ensure that the gift of life is respected and that parental rights are protected from radical politicians such as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzer, a Democrat, who wants to erase parental rights and replace parents with an all-powerful state.
The mission of the radical Left is clear: to indoctrinate our children with their extremist ideology. It is extreme to force girls to share spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams with biological males and to push puberty blockers, chemical castration drugs, and sex-change operations on minors.
The Left’s extremism extends to abortion as well, where it seeks to subvert parental rights by eliminating the need for parental consent before a minor can obtain this dangerous procedure. Activists’ recent pro-abortion agenda also includes “do-it-yourself-at-home” chemical abortion, which once again is an attack on parental rights.
Late on Friday night, Dec. 17, 2021, while no one was paying attention, Pritzker signed House Bill 370, repealing requirements for parental consent before minor girls receive an abortion. This radical abortion legislation was deeply unpopular among parents in Illinois, including independent voters.
The Biden administration also is advancing a radical pro-abortion agenda, with the Food and Drug Administration approving the mailing of dangerous abortion pills to young women without requiring a doctor’s visit. The Left wants to strip the rights of parents in every way possible and has put unrestricted abortion on demand at the top of its priority list—even if it puts minors at risk.
My proposed Parental Notification and Intervention Act seeks to defend against this attack on parental rights by preventing abortion providers from performing abortions on minors until the minor’s parents have received written notification that their child has requested an abortion and until they have had a 96-hour window within which to intervene.
Many states already have similar parental involvement laws in place. In Texas, the teen abortion rate has dropped by more than 25% since a parental notification law took effect in 2000.
By passing my legislation, Congress can ensure that parents remain the guardians of their children, not the government, and not the abortionists at Planned Parenthood.
I’m proud to be part of an effort with my fellow Americans, including other members of Congress, to establish and maintain a culture that deeply cherishes the sanctity of life. By introducing the Dignity for Aborted Children Act, I stand united with the pro-life community in advocating a requirement that abortion providers handle the remains of unborn children with the same level of dignity afforded to any other human being.
We must pursue the goal of a more compassionate society. As a mother of seven and grandmother of 20, I recognize that life is a gift, not a “problem” that needs to be solved.
Our laws must push back on radical attempts, whether by Pritzker or President Joe Biden, to subvert parental rights and disrespect God’s gift of life.
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