House Begins Session With Pro-Life Speaker, Majority

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 5, 2011   |   12:16PM   |   Washington, DC

The 112th Congress convened Wednesday afternoon and the House of Representatives officially elected its new pro-life Speaker John Boehner and installed the new pro-life majority.

The new Congress will kick off the session with a reading of the entire U.S. Constitution and a new rule that all legislation be “accompanied by a statement citing the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the proposed law.”

After pro-abortion Democrats and pro-abortion Speaker Nanci Pelosi dominated the House and pushed through both abortion funding with taxpayer dollars and a government takeover of health care that prompted significant abortion-funding and rationing concerns, workers literally took down the signs formerly showing their control.

Members moved forward with the election of Speaker John Boeher, who beat pro-abortion former Speaker Nancy Pelosi on a 241-173 margin. Democrats were divided as 19 either voted present, voted for another Democrat, or supported pro-life Democrat Health Schuler of North Carolina.

Ultimately, just 39.7 percent of members of the House backed Pelosi while Republicans unanimously supported Boehner, whose heartfelt pro-life views and sterling voting record have earned him awards from both the National Right to Life Committee and Americans United for Life.

“America is a nation that is built on freedom, but without respect for life that freedom is in jeopardy Wen we reaffirm our commitment to life we reaffirm our commitment to freedom,’ Boehner said in accepting the NRLC award last summer. “I never sought to be recognized as a leader of a movement or wear my pro-life credentials on my sleeve. I just voted for what I thought was right and spoke out on what I thought was right. But, if you believe in the right to life, being quiet isn’t good enough.”

Under his leadership, Republicans are already moving ahead with a planned vote on January 12 on a measure that would repeal the ObamaCare law. That vote will be followed up by consideration of legislation to de-fund the much-maligned legislation as well as a bill to ensure no taxpayer funding of comes through ObamaCare if the law stays in place.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, talked about the change in tenor of the House from the last session.

“Keeping abortion out of health care — as the antitheses to it — was the critical issue with enough votes to stop or pass healthcare.  It was a dramatic caving in on abortion in health care by a group of now former Members of Congress that finally sealed the deal on the bill,” she told LifeNews.com.

“A tidal wave of grassroots activity replaced those self-labeled pro-life members with true pro-life Congressmen. Democracy works.  Now new pro-life members, sent to correct injustice are doing so.  We call on Congress to repeal this law that destroys Life using our tax dollars,” she added.

The 2010 congressional elections produced the largest pro-life majority in the House in its history, according to the man who leads pro-life efforts there — Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey. Out of 107 incoming new Members to the House of Representatives, 77 or 72% are believed to be consistent pro-life votes.

Leading pro-life groups will work with Smith and other lawmakers for three separate bills:  the Joe Pitts measure on removing abortion funding from ObamaCare, the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortions Actsponsored by Smith and Rep. Daniel Lipinski, an Illinois Democrat, to ban all taxpayer funding of abortion in all federal departments, and the “Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act.” The last measure is  sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, and it would cut off the Planned Parenthood abortion business from receiving taxpayer dollars under the nation’s federal family planning program.

“The pro-life movement really flexed its muscles in the 2010 election. Many representatives learned the consequences of their vote for a health care bill that included taxpayer funding of abortion when they were thrown out of office by the constituents they betrayed,” Dannenfelser continued. “Those Members have been replaced by authentic pro-life voices that are supported by a strongly pro-life GOP leadership.”

A December 2009 Quinnipiac survey found that 72% of Americans opposed funding abortions  through any federally run health plan.