Top pro-life advocates pressed the flesh with pro-life incoming members of Congress last night at a reception and encouraged them to remain firm in their resolve to oppose abortion and abortion funding.
The Susan B. Anthony List co-sponsored the event and its president Marjorie Dannenfelser says she was excited to meet with the new pro-life lawmakers.
“I am going to personally ask each of them to support our major legislative push to end federal funding of abortion,” she said beforehand. “I plan on showing them all the signatures and comments from our Stop Abortion Funding petition to encourage them to passionately support our effort.”
Calling opposing abortion and abortion funding a “no-brainer,” she said the new elected officials need to understand the “majority of Americans consider themselves to be pro-life. And an even larger majority believes that tax dollars shouldn’t be used to fund abortion.”
“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 “Those Members have been replaced by authentic pro-life voices that are supported by a strongly pro-life GOP leadership.”
“With its promise to defund abortion in its Pledge to America, that leadership team has shown it understands the urgency of addressing the tragedy of nearly 4,000 abortions a day. Now it’s time for the pro-life Republican majority in the House to make good on that Pledge. It should start by ending all taxpayer funding of abortion,” she added.
John Boehner, who is the likely Speaker of the House — replacing pro-abortion Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also attended the event. (He is shown with Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life at the reception.)
Students for Life of America also sponsored the event and said it was a great opportunity to meet with many of the elected officials who are providing the pro-life movement its best numbers in the House in history.
“Last night, Students for Life of America and the Susan B. Anthony List sponsored a successful reception in honor of the 77 new pro-life Members of Congress,” SFLA president Kristan Hawkins said today. “The goal of our reception was to greet the new pro-life Members, encourage them to stay ‘on track,’ and offer our assistance as they start work in January.”
“As you know, the past two years have been extremely difficult for the pro-life movement in Washington,” she explained. “Make no mistake about it, President Obama is the most pro-abortion President our nation has ever had. And President Obama, Senator Harry Reid, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi have kept the pro-life movement on the defense since taking power.”
“However, after meeting a majority of the new Members of Congress last night, I am confident that we will be able to advance a Culture of Life in the next Congress. Out of 107 incoming new Members to the House of Representatives, 77 or 72% are consistent votes for Life,” Hawkins said.
“For the first time since Roe v. Wade, America will have a pro-life majority, Republicans and Democrats, in the House of Representatives,” she added.
Both groups join other pro-life organizations in pressing for votes on two pro-life bills — including the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortions Act sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican and Rep. Daniel Lipinski, an Illinois Democrat. The measure would ban all federal funding for abortions including through the ObamaCare bill.
The other bill, the “Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act” sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, would cut off the Planned Parenthood abortion business from receiving taxpayer dollars under the nation’s federal family planning program.
