As the primary and caucus season is in full swing, Americans are debating a wide-range of issues in communities all across the country. Over the past seven years under Barack Obama’s failed policies, traditional American values have been under attack by government in Washington as never before. America is at a crossroads, and I firmly believe that the 2016 election is a tipping point.
Will the America as we know it, a nation founded on Judeo-Christian values, be forever dominated by a liberal, secular hegemony? Or will we rise up, elect a conservative, and restore conservative values by returning power to our local communities? The 2016 election will be critical to the conservative cause, most especially the pro-life cause.
The laws of our great nation are based on the recognition of God as our Creator and the basic individual rights given to us from Him. It is the duty of the federal government to protect these values. However, for far too long, our government has failed to protect the defenseless and most innocent among us: the unborn.
As thousands of pro-life advocates braved the DC blizzard to march for life, I was motivated by their dedication to this increasingly critical cause. I was also reminded of how far the Congress and the federal government have slipped on the issue of taxpayer funding of abortion. For decades, a bipartisan majority annually even forbade any federal employee health plan from carrying abortion coverage so as to keep taxpayer funds from paying for this repugnant act. Now, after Obamacare, the Administration and its allies in Congress proudly tout providing our tax dollars to subsidize abortion.
On the heels of the repulsive videos that were released last year, conservatives in Congress like myself reaffirmed our commitment to preventing the use of any federal funds to perform abortions and voted to defund Planned Parenthood. Opponents claim that conservatives were trying to prevent funding from going to women’s health care, but the reality is that our efforts would redirect funding from Planned Parenthood to reputable organizations that provide care to women in need. Planned Parenthood is first and foremost an abortion provider and little else. Worse, the organization traffics in the human byproducts of their grizzly business.
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The gruesome practices of Planned Parenthood are simply unacceptable and inhumane, yet liberals in Washington continually block our efforts to defund the organization. That is why this upcoming election is so important.
It is critical that we maintain our strong majority in the House, grow our majority in the Senate, and get a conservative in the White House. As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, it is my hope that our committee will finally have the opportunity to defund Planned Parenthood without the threat of legislation being blocked by Democrats or vetoed by the President.
When it comes to my beliefs on life, I know three things to be absolutely true: human life is a gift, every human life should be protected, and not one dime of taxpayer funding should go to Planned Parenthood.
LifeNews Note: Senator Richard Shelby is a U.S. Senator representing the state of Alabama. He hold a 100% pro-life voting record on key pro-life and abortion issues.
