This week, hundreds of thousands of Americans came to our nation’s Capital to March for Life. Sadly, we have lost more than 60 million lives in the United States since abortion became legal and Roe v. Wade was upheld by the Supreme Court 45 years ago. That is 60 million less lives which could have grown up to find the cure to cancer, discovered new sources of energy, become an astronaut or the next President of the United States. But more than likely, many of those lives would have had a smaller - but just as noble - role in life. Maybe those aborted babies would have grown up to be the 3rd grade teacher at your local elementary school, a small business owner on Main Street, a brave member of our military, or raised families of their own.
I was in Cuba, Missouri when I met Gianna Jessen. Gianna was almost one of these millions of lives lost, but was saved by a nurse after surviving an abortion and being born alive. Gianna has had a life filled of uphill battles and complications from the attempted abortion, but she has courageously chosen to dedicate her life to fighting for the unborn and their right to life. This week, I met Kelsey and her twin girls. Kelsey is from south central Missouri, and bravely defended the lives of her unborn babies when she was pressured into an abortion. Through the compassionate care of the Rolla Pregnancy Center, Kelsey was able to receive the support she needed to carry her children to term.
I have voted repeatedly and consistently to make sure that no taxpayer funds are used for abortions and instead, I have supported pregnancy resource centers like the Pregnancy Center in Rolla and Birthright in Cape Girardeau who protect innocent lives and provide critical resources to mothers and families. I have spent time with them, and I can tell you first hand that they are putting tax dollars to good use and using them to protect unborn babies’ right to life and help mothers like Kelsey fight for their children.
The right to life must extend to every innocent human being, through every stage of life, and I am committed to defending that right. It is because of this commitment that this week, we marched for people like Gianna, Kelsey and her daughters. We march because every innocent life is precious and deserves a chance in this world. We march because our Constitution guarantees all Americans an inalienable right to life. We also march for people like Micah.
Micah was born prematurely at just 20-weeks and survived. After his birth, Micah’s family boldly pushed Congress to outlaw 20-week abortions. Micah is now a thriving, healthy five-year-old and is living proof that children born as young as 20-weeks have the potential to grow up and live completely normal lives. I was honored to help author and pass “Micah’s Law” to stop 20-week abortions for babies like Micah who could feel pain and survive outside of the womb. While this bill was a step in the right direction, there is more work to be done.
Standing next to over a hundred Missourians in town this week to join the March for Life was a feeling of inspiration and commitment to protecting the rights of the unborn which I won’t soon forget. While the protection of the unborn is an ongoing battle around the country, we must lay the foundation for a society that does not accept abortion as a form of birth control. Open hearts and open minds can heal our nation and change abortions into adoptions. We must join together to pray for the protection of the unborn. The intersection of prayer and action can produce amazing results. I know we can accomplish our goals, and innocent human life can be saved.
