Polling shows Alabama voters want Doug Jones to confirm Brett Kavanaugh
Polling shows that 54 percent of Alabama voters want Brett Kavanaugh confirmed as a Supreme Court Judge, according to the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List. The SBA List and pro-life activists assembled in Mobile on Wednesday to call on U.S. Senator Doug Jones; compelling him to confirm Kavanaugh and adding themselves to the growing list of groups urging him to do so. “Polling shows that 53 percent of Alabama voters agree President Trump has chosen well qualified judges for the Supreme Court,” Jill Stanek, national campaign chairman for Susan B. Anthony list said at the rally. “And 54 percent want the senate to confirm Kavanaugh.” “We urge senator Jones to stand against Chuck Schumer and the radical abortion lobby; stand with the President…and pledge to vote to confirm judge Kavanaugh immediately,” Stanek continued. The SBA list is a national non-profit organization aimed at ending abortion by electing leaders and advocating for anti-abortion laws, according to the group’s website. Several organizations have called on Jones to support Kavanaugh. Last week, the National Rifle Association’s political arm the Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) posted a video asking voters to tell Jones they support Kavanaugh by signing a pledge on their website. This week, an Alabama bus company joined Concerned Women of America in an eight-state tour to promote the confirmation of Kavanaugh. Earlier this week, Jones held a town hall meeting in Birmingham during which the conversation was dominated by his decision on Kavanaugh. “I am doing a lot of work on the Supreme Court nominee,” Jones told the crowd. “He will be there for life twenty, thirty years, maybe more, we do not know.” Jones has previously stated that he would be keeping an “open mind” on his vote, and told the Associated Press he wanted to do his “due diligence” on Kavanaugh’s work. “Respectfully, Senator Jones, when you go to the Senate floor there is not a moderate button to push; it is a yes, or it is a no,” Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) Chairman Terry Lathan told the crowd at the rally. “Humbly, and very gratefully, we ask you Senator Jones, to hear our voices…We are here to share with you and we are here to tell you very clearly; the people of this state want this judge seated and we’re asking you to cast that vote.” According to AL.com, this is not the first stop the group has made. The SBA list has also visited Florida, Indiana, North Dakota and Missouri, “urging Democratic Senators in battleground states to back Kavanaugh’s confirmation.” Watch the full video of the rally below:
Martha Roby: Pro-life movement momentum is strong
As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have the privilege each year to advocate for the priorities most important to the people who live and work in Alabama’s Second District. Among many other key issues, I have been proud to stand up and fight for a strong military and smart agriculture policy on this committee. On the reverse, I am also in a strong position fight against funding from being steered towards programs or organizations that I adamantly oppose. Recently when the Appropriations Committee approved our Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Fiscal Year 2019 funding bill, I had the opportunity to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves: the unborn. As a member of the Labor-HHS Subcommittee, I am extremely proud to report that our bill passed by the full Committee includes the strong pro-life language I have fought for year after year and implements additional policy riders to defend life. Every single one of these measures is critically important and further ensures that no taxpayer dollars can be used for abortions. Among the key pro-life provisions included in the Labor-HHS FY19 funding bill are the Hyde Amendment, which directs that no taxpayer dollars be used to fund abortions, and the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, which bans Labor-HHS funding from being used on research that harms human embryos. In addition to these longstanding pro-life measures, our bill also includes several other important pro-life provisions that continue our efforts to assign greater protections for life under the law. These measures include the Conscience Science Protection Act, which protects the rights of health care providers that do not participate in abortion. In addition, the bill includes language that prohibits funding for fetal tissue research obtained from abortion. This measure might sound familiar because it is a direct response to the 2015 scandal that revealed how Planned Parenthood officials were systematically altering abortion procedures to preserve babies’ organs in order to sell them to researchers for profit. Planned Parenthood’s action was sick, callous, and completely inhuman. Finally, the bill includes language to prohibit abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving any available funding, including through Title X family grants. This measure works hand-in-hand with the Trump Administration’s “Protect Life” rule, which also directs that Planned Parenthood is not eligible to receive Title X grant money. As I have said many, many times: Abortion is not family planning. Abortion is not health care. Organizations that offer these services should not receive taxpayer dollars that are intended for family planning. Throughout my time in Congress, I have remained unapologetically pro-life. I believe life begins at conception, and our laws and policies should reflect a strong commitment to defending life at every stage. I have considered it a great privilege to have a platform with which I can serve as a voice for the voiceless. After eight long years of coming up short pro-life victories, I am encouraged that we now have a President who supports our efforts and is willing to sign important measures into law. The pro-life movement’s momentum is strong, and I look forward to seeing it grow as we continue to impact meaningful change on behalf of the unborn. I am eager to support our Labor-HHS funding bill when it comes before the full House for a vote. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama with her husband Riley and their two children.
Abortion rights could be litmus test for high court nominee
Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a key vote on President Donald Trump‘s pick for the Supreme Court, said Sunday she would oppose any nominee she believed would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. The White House is focusing on five to seven potential candidates to fill the vacancy of retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, a swing vote on the court. The Maine senator said she would only back a judge who would show respect for settled law such as the 45-year-old Roe decision, which has long been anathema to conservatives. “I would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade because that would mean to me that their judicial philosophy did not include a respect for established decisions, established law,” Collins said. Such a judge, she said, “would not be acceptable to me because that would indicate an activist agenda.” Trump spent the weekend at his New Jersey golf club conferring with his advisers, including White House counsel Don McGahn, as he considers his options to fill the vacancy that might make precedent-shattering court decisions on abortion, health care, gay marriage and other issues. The president told reporters Friday that he was homing in on up to seven candidates, including two women, and would announce his choice on July 9. Trump is expected to begin his search in earnest this week at the White House and said the process could include interviews at his golf club before he reaches a final decision following the Fourth of July holiday. During his 2016 campaign and presidency, Trump embraced anti-abortion groups and vowed to appoint federal judges who will favor efforts to roll back abortion rights. But he told reporters on Friday that he would not question potential high-court nominees about their views on abortion, saying it was “inappropriate to discuss.” The Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, but anti-abortion advocates hope Roe v. Wade will soon be overruled if Trump gets the chance to appoint a justice who could cast a potentially decisive vote against it. Without Kennedy, the high court will have four justices picked by Democratic presidents and four picked by Republicans, giving Trump the chance to shift the ideological balance toward conservatives for years to come. Both Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first pick to the high court, have indicated more broadly that they respect legal precedent. On Sunday, Leonard Leo, an outside adviser to Trump on judicial nominations, said he expected Trump to select a nominee who is mindful of precedent but who is also more “originalist and textualist.” That judicial approach typically involves a more literal interpretation of the Constitution, and not reading into the Constitution language that doesn’t explicitly appear. Roe, for instance, relied on a right to privacy, which is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution. Possible nominees being eyed include Thomas Hardiman, who serves alongside Trump’s sister on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Raymond Kethledge, a federal appeals court judge who clerked for Kennedy. Also of interest are Amul Thapar, who serves on the federal appeals court in Cincinnati; Brett Kavanaugh, a former clerk for Kennedy who serves on the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.; and Amy Coney Barrett, who serves on the federal appeals court in Chicago. Echoing Leo’s view, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Judiciary Committee, said he didn’t think Trump would be overly focused on the Roe ruling. “You don’t overturn precedent unless there’s a good reason,” Graham said. “I would tell my pro-life friends: You can be pro-life and conservative, but you can also believe in ‘stare decisis,’” he said, citing the legal term involving legal precedent that means “to stand by things decided.” Republicans hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, and it’s even closer because of the absence of ailing Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Even though Mitch McConnell changed Senate rules last year to allow confirmation by simple majority, if Democrats hold together, he cannot afford defections. Vice President Mike Pence can be called on to break a tie. Collins appeared on ABC’s “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union,” Leo spoke on “Fox News Sunday” and Graham was on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Pro-life group warns voters against Walt Maddox: he’s ‘unwilling to fight to defend the unborn’
An Alabama pro-life group, Alabama Citizens for Life, is warning pro-life voters about voting for Walt Maddox in the November general election saying he is “entirely unwilling to fight to defend the unborn or oppose his party’s radical pro-choice agenda.” On Thursday the group sent out a news release claiming Maddox is “charading” as a pro-lifer and that if elected, Alabama babies who make it to 22 weeks could lose their legal protection of the right to their lives. The group also compares Maddox to Alabama’s newly elected senator Doug Jones. During his campaign for U.S. Senate, Jones went on record saying “the law for decades has been that late-term procedures are generally restricted except in the case of medical necessity. That’s what I support.” However, when H.R. 36: The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act came before the U.S. Senate for a vote to be brought to the floor, Jones voted against it, essentially killing the bill. “When it comes to protecting innocent human life, you either have a track record like Governor Kay Ivey or you have campaign promises like Doug Jones,” said the release. “All you will get is a candidate who falls in line with the entrenched and well financed pro-abortion lobby. Over the past several months, Democratic candidate for Governor Walt Maddox has been quick to label himself ‘pro-life’ but when pushed for more specifics, he evades the issue and calls it a ‘distraction.’” “The fact is Walt Maddox has refused to state he will support legislation that bans late term abortions, he will not commit to defunding Planned Parenthood, and he has repeatedly stated he will not try to fight any federal pro-abortion laws,” continued the release. “In other words, Maddox is entirely unwilling to fight to defend the unborn or oppose his party’s radical pro-choice agenda including abortion through all 9 months of pregnancy.If Maddox is elected, it becomes a reality that Alabama babies who make it to 22 weeks could lose their legal protection of the right to their lives.” The group warns pro-life voters to not be fooled by Maddox, saying that he’s using the term “pro-life” as campaign slogan, but will refuse any legislation to actually change any laws on abortion in the state.
SBA List declares victory as pro-life women advance in Alabama primaries
The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) celebrated as its endorsed candidates in Alabama — Gov. Kay Ivey, Twinkle Cavanaugh, and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Martha Roby —advanced in their respective primaries. Ivey outright won the Republican party’s nomination and moves to the general election on Nov. 6. Meanwhile Cavanaugh, in the race for Lieutenant Governor, and Roby in the race to continue representing the 2nd District in the.S. House of Representatives, will both move to runoff election scheduled to take place on July 17. “We congratulate Governor Kay Ivey on her primary win. We also congratulate Twinkle Cavanaugh and Congresswoman Martha Roby on advancing in their races,” said former Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, SBA List’s Vice President of Government Affairs. “These three outstanding candidates form a pro-life ‘dream team’ for Alabama, one of the most solidly pro-life states in the nation. They will stand up to the extreme abortion lobby, fight to protect unborn children and their mothers, and keep Alabama taxpayers out of the abortion business. As an organization with a special calling to promote strong pro-life, pro-woman leaders, we are proud to see them advance and encourage Alabama voters to support them.” Ivey is a founding member of SBA List’s Pro-Life Women’s Caucus who was first endorsed by SBA List Candidate Fund in 2010. Cavanaugh is president of Alabama’s Public Service Commission, an important role ensuring taxpayers’ confidence in local government. Previously, she was the first woman to serve as chair of the Alabama Republican Party. Roby was one of the first to speak out on the House floor to raise awareness of Planned Parenthood’s role in the harvest and sale of aborted babies’ body parts for profit. She has fought to redirect taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business, to comprehensive health care alternatives. She is also a co-sponsor of the Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2017, which would ban federal funding for research using fetal tissue from abortion victims. Recently, she spoke in support of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. She also co-sponsored the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and managed floor debate on the bill. Susan B. Anthony List and its partner super PAC, Women Speak Out spent more than $18 million in the 2016 election cycle, visiting more than 1.1 million homes in battleground states to defeat Hillary Clinton and maintain a pro-life Senate. SBA List is dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, SBA List emphasizes the education, promotion, mobilization, and election of pro-life women. SBA List is a network of more than 630,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.
Donald Trump wades deeper into abortion politics as midterms loom
President Donald Trump has long been an unlikely sweetheart for conservative and evangelical voters. Now, in the lead-up to the midterm elections, the thrice-married former Democrat who used to describe himself as “very pro-choice” is offering catnip to conservative voters with a new administration push to strip funding from Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics. The initiative, announced last week, has arrived just in time for Trump to highlight it Tuesday night when he speaks at the Susan B. Anthony List’s annual “Campaign for Life Gala.” It is aimed at resurrecting parts of a Reagan-era mandate banning federally funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions, or sharing space with abortion providers. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List, says the move “will help tremendously” in the midterm elections. It’s also the latest evidence that as he frets over the Russia investigation and prepares for a planned summit with North Korea, Trump has also been focused on fulfilling campaign promises and tending to issues that galvanize his base: holding a series of events to rail against the dangers of illegal immigration, pulling out of the Iran-nuclear deal and wading anew into the fight over abortion rights. Trump is far from a natural fit for conservative voters. He recently admitted to reimbursing his lawyer for paying pay hush money to a porn star who claimed she had sex with Trump (a charge that he denies). And Trump has bragged about groping women without their permission. During the campaign, he sometimes had trouble articulating his views on abortion, at one point suggesting women should be punished for having abortions. His campaign later walked back the statement, saying that if abortion were ever outlawed, he believed that doctors who perform them should be punished. Nonetheless, white evangelical voters overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016, and that support has only grown. A PRRI survey released last month found white evangelical support for Trump at an all-time high, with 75 percent of those polled holding a favorable view of the president and just 22 percent holding an unfavorable view. Support for Trump within the general population in the poll stood at just 42 percent. Religious groups like the Catholic Medical Association approve of a series of actions Trump has taken, beginning with his appointment of judges who oppose abortion rights, including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Trump’s reinstatement of the global “gag rule” that bars federal funding for nongovernmental organizations that provide abortion referrals. Trump has also surrounded himself with staffers with deep ties to conservative groups, including counselor Kellyanne Conway and Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp. Ralph Reed, chairman of the private Faith & Freedom Coalition, also pointed to the president’s dismantling of the Iran nuclear deal and his decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as steps that have played especially well with evangelical voters. But he said the president’s actions on abortion hold special sway, in part because of Trump’s early struggle with the issue. “On a policy level, I see it as a series of promises made and promises kept. And in this case, a pro-life promise made and pro-life promise kept. And I would argue those are the most important promises to keep because he was someone who was believed, accurately or otherwise, as a recent arrival to conservatism and someone who had an ideologically mixed past,” Reed said. Reed added that as president, “Trump has done everything that he can to keep faith with the faith-based voters that provided him with his margin of victory in 2016.” When it comes to the midterms, Reed said, “I expect Donald Trump to be rewarded for these efforts by a similarly historic turnout among evangelical and other pro-life voters.” Dannenfelser, whose group works to elect candidates who want to reduce and ultimately end abortion, is planning to raise and spend $25 million this cycle, up from the $18 million the group spent in the lead-up to the 2016 elections. She said the president’s latest move would play especially well with voters in states like Missouri, where Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley is challenging Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, one of the Senate’s most vulnerable incumbents, as well as in Indiana and North Dakota, where Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer is challenging Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. “He has proved himself refreshingly predictable,” Dannenfelser said of Trump’s record on abortion issues. The other side, meanwhile, is preparing for a potential legal fight against Trump’s latest action and aiming to build support for candidates who support abortion rights. “We have to fight back in the best way we know how,” the group Emily’s List wrote in a fundraising email, “electing pro-choice Democratic women who will always protect reproductive freedom.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Here’s everyone who Alabama Citizens for Life has endorsed in the 2018 election cycle
The state’s largest pro-life group Alabama Citizens for Life (ACL) — a non-partisan, non-denominational, non-profit, working to restore legal protection for all human life from conception to natural death — has endorsed 14 candidates in the 2018 election cycle. In 1978, ACL began lobbying for pro-life legislation, including: 1987: Parental Notification and Consent Law Enacted 1997: Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act / Ban abortion on Post-Viable Babies 2002: Women’s Right to Know, Informed Consent with 24 hr waiting Period 2002: Choose Life Tag thru DMV 2006: Unborn Victims of Violence Act including provisions for Court to appoint “Guardian” legal counsel to unborn 2010: Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act Bans Abortions after 19 weeks Here are the candidates who the ACL has endorsed, who they believe will stand up for and protect life: Statewide races Governor: Kay Ivey and Bill Hightower Lt. Governor: Rusty Glover Attorney General: Steve Marshall Secretary of State: John Merrill Agricultural Commissioner: Gerald Dial Judicial Races Supreme Court: Tom Parker State Senate Races District 21: Gerald Allen District 4: Paul Bussman District 6: Larry Stutts District 10: Mac Butler District 12: Del Marsh State House Races District 14: Tim Wadsworth District 48: Jim Carns District 76: Matt Fridy Attorney General: Steve Marshall “Steve Marshall has a solid record of fighting for those who cannot speak for themselves, both as Attorney General and District Attorney,” said Cheryl Ciamarra, Director of Alabama Citizens for Life and Board Member to the National Right to Life Committee. “He has been a vocal advocate for the Brody Act, a protector of religious liberty, and a defender of Alabama’s abortion laws. In the race for Attorney General, Steve is the candidate who best reflects the values of Alabama voters.”
Pro-life SBA List endorses Twinkle Cavanaugh for Lieutenant Governor
The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) on Thursday announced its endorsement of Twinkle Cavanaugh for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama. Dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion, the SBA List and its network of more than 630,000 pro-life Americans nationwide emphasize the education, promotion, mobilization, and election of pro-life women. “Susan B. Anthony List has a special calling to promote strong pro-life, pro-woman leaders like Twinkle Cavanaugh. We are proud to endorse her for lieutenant governor,” said former congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, SBA List’s Vice President of Government Affairs. “Twinkle’s pro-life convictions are unshakeable. She will be a powerful advocate for unborn children and their mothers, as well as the taxpayers of Alabama in the role of lieutenant governor, which doubles as president of the state senate. We encourage pro-life voters to support her.” Cavanaugh said she was humbled by the endorsement. “I am humbled by Susan B. Anthony List’s endorsement,” said Cavanaugh. “Alabama is a profoundly pro-life state where the voters believe every life is precious and deserving of protection. I am deeply committed to the future of all our children, including those yet unborn. It will be a privilege to serve as lieutenant governor and stand up for these values at every opportunity.” Twinkle Cavanaugh is president of Alabama’s Public Service Commission where she works to ensure taxpayers’ confidence in local government. Previously, she was the first woman to serve as chair of the Alabama Republican Party. The primary election will take place on June 5.
Alabamians to decide the fate of four proposed constitutional amendments
Alabama voters on November 6 will decide the fate of four proposed constitutional amendments. Those amendments, all of which passed the 2018 legislative session, will appear as referendums on the general-election ballot now that Secretary of State John Merrill on Friday signed all four proposals. The amendments are: Amendment 1: Allows posting of the 10 Commandments in public buildings, including courthouses and schools. Amendment 2: Designates Alabama a “Pro-Life” state. Amendment 3: Allows changes to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. Amendment 4: Allowed certain valencies to be filled by appointment rather than special elections. As of February 2018, there were 928 amendments to Alabama’s 1901 Constitution, making it by far the longest state constitution in the country.
Scott Dawson calls for investigation of all Alabama abortion clinics
Gubernatorial candidate Scott Dawson called for the investigation of all Alabama abortion clinic’s on Friday; after it was reported that a Montgomery abortion clinic failed to report potential sexual abuse 13 year-old patient. According to AL.com, the girl first visited the clinic in January 2016 and gave the clinic a birth date in July 2000, which would have made her 15. Two weeks later when she returned to have the abortion she brought her birth certificate showing that she was born in July 2002, meaning she was actually 13 at the time the abortion was performed. The girl had a second abortion in April of 2017, when she was 14 years old. In January of this year, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) sent an inspector to interview the director of the clinic who verified the information and only reported the patient and both abortions to ADPH after the inspection. The clinic has since provided the ADPH with a complete correction plan to revise how it obtains and reviews information from minors. “The news coming out of Montgomery breaks my heart and the apathy exhibited by our Montgomery politicians is angering,” declared Dawson. “When a 13-year-old child—with non-English speaking parents—is given an abortion, without a third-party counselor and no suspicion of sexual abuse and no report, we know Montgomery needs new leadership. Where is law enforcement? If this were a public school employee who had failed to report potential sexual abuse, they would be without a job and under investigation.” Dawson said as Governor he will immediately call for a full investigation of all abortion clinics across the state. “As Governor, I will immediately call for full investigation of all abortion clinics in the State of Alabama and at minimum, I will see to it that the Department of Public Health is held accountable to enforce their own rules, and that entities operating like this will be closed,” explained Dawson. “In Alabama, we treasure all human life—the born, the unborn, and certainly 13-year-old children who may need to be rescued from an abusive situation. Just because a clinic can legally murder, doesn’t mean they get a pass on the laws of this state.” Dawson faces Incumbent governor Kay Ivey, Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle, and State Sen. Bill Hightower in the June 5 Republican primary.
Martha Roby picks up endorsement from National Right to Life
On Tuesday, National Right to Life announced its endorsement of Alabama 2nd District U.S. Rep. Martha Roby in her re-election efforts. The pro-life group praised Roby’s strong pro-life voice in Congress. “All voters who are concerned with the right to life and with the protection of the most vulnerable members of the human family should vote to return Representative Roby to Congress so that she can continue to work to advance vital pro-life public policies,” the group said in a statement. They also pointed out her 100 percent score based on her pro-life voting record and highlighted her leadership on several related legislative items: Roby cosponsored and voted in favor of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, legislation that would ban abortion after 20 weeks. Roby cosponsored and voted in favor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, a bill that would establish a permanent, government-wide policy against funding abortions or health insurance plans that cover them. Roby voted to block federal funding for Planned Parenthood. “I am grateful to the National Right to Life Committee for its unwavering commitment to the pro-life cause,” Roby said of the endorsement. “I am honored to have the support of this important organization, and I look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of those who cannot fight for themselves.”
Martha Roby: It’s not up for debate
45 years ago this month, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Roe v. Wade to make abortion legal and available nationwide. While many abortion activists celebrate this infamous anniversary, it represents a particularly somber occasion for those of us who advocate for life – at all stages. Every year since this ruling, the pro-life community has gathered in Washington to march in peaceful protest. The 2018 March for Life took place on Friday, January 19th – and wow, the pro-life energy was certainly high in Washington. This year the March for Life theme was “Love Saves Lives.” Leading up to and during the March, the pro-life community participated in a social media campaign to share photos, videos, and thoughts to shed light on why we march – and on the many reasons why life at every stage is worth fighting for. I’d like to extend a very sincere “thank you” to each and every person from our great state who made the long trip to participate in the March. I am truly inspired by the thousands of March for Life participants and their dedication to the pro-life movement. I stand with you. I was especially impressed by a young lady from Montgomery named Agnes Armstrong. She’s a graduate of the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School and is currently a sophomore at Auburn University. She was selected to speak to more than 600,000 people at the pre-March rally to offer the perspective of a young female college student. This past summer, Agnes wrote a letter to March for Life President Jeanne Mancini thanking her for the impact the organization has made. Mrs. Mancini was moved by the letter and asked Agnes to be featured as this year’s March for Life “Young Adult” keynote speaker. I am so thankful to have young leaders like Agnes to represent our state in such a remarkable way. It’s because of individuals like her that our pro-life momentum is as strong as it is. I am excited to report that during the March for Life festivities, the House took action to defend the defenseless by taking up and passing H.R. 4712, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. I was proud to cosponsor the legislation, and I also had the unique opportunity to manage debate of the bill while it was being considered on the floor. At this point, I don’t think it’s a secret that I am unapologetically pro-life, and I believe that our laws and policies should assign the utmost importance to life at every stage. I have stood on the House floor many times in defense of the unborn, but this time, we weren’t talking about the unborn. H.R. 4712 seeks to protect those who have already been born. The bill is pretty simple. It states that if a baby is born alive after a failed abortion, he or she must be given the same exact medical care that would be given to any other baby. I know Congress will continue to play politics about when life begins and argue about the point at which the law should step in to protect it – and I understand not everyone agrees with my strong pro-life stance. However, I cannot fathom how any person could be opposed to legislation that protects babies who are so alive that you can look them in the eye. Of course, I supported this measure, but it did feel strange to take a stand in defense of living, breathing children – to even have to make the case that a baby who survives an abortion and is born in this world should be treated just like a baby born any other way. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice. There is currently no law mandating that a baby born alive after a failed abortion receives medical treatment instead of being left to die. That’s why this bill is necessary. It would require under federal law, nationwide, that a baby born alive after an abortion attempt receives the same care that any other baby would. I know that as a Member of Congress, part of my job is to debate the issues facing our nation, and while I take this responsibility very seriously, I don’t believe this particular issue is up for debate. I hope the Senate acts swiftly and passes this bill, and I’ll keep you informed as we progress. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama with her husband Riley and their two children.
