It has been 49 years since the United States Supreme Court made the tragic Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion and putting the most vulnerable Americans at risk. In those 49 years, advancements in modern medicine have and continue to prove what the pro-life community has been saying all along – an unborn baby is a human life. We now know that at just 5 weeks, babies have heartbeats, and their blood vessels, spinal cords, and brains have begun to develop. They might be tiny, but they are babies and a life worth protecting.

This year, there is much to be hopeful about as the national pro-life movement has built a great deal of momentum. In December, the United States Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization – a direct challenge to Roe V. Wade. This case will decide the constitutionality of a 2018 law passed in the state of Mississippi that would limit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except to save the life and preserve the physical health of the mother, or in cases of severe fetal abnormality. At 15 weeks, babies have fully developed hearts, noses, lips, and they can yawn, hiccup, and feel pain. To think that pregnancies can be terminated at this stage is absolutely heartbreaking, and I pray the court rules in favor of life.

One of the most important ways Congress can help keep protections for the unborn in place is preserving the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding from being used for abortions. In its 45 years of existence, the Hyde Amendment has saved approximately 2.5 million lives. Unfortunately, Congressional Democrats are threatening to remove the Hyde Amendment from our next government funding bill. This would inevitably cause an increase in abortions paid for by taxpayer dollars in our country and would be a major blow to the pro-life movement. My Republican colleagues and I will continue doing everything possible to keep this from happening, but sadly it is a possible outcome.

I have also been fighting to put an end to the horrific fetal tissue research that continues to take place in our country. Most recently, I led a letter to the Department of Justice regarding the need for an investigation into the University of Pittsburgh’s abortion procedures and research. Recent reports from the National Institute of Health show the university may have violated federal law by altering abortion procedures solely for the purpose of obtaining fetal tissue. Even worse, the reports show that university researchers may have harvested organs from babies who were old enough to live outside the womb which is incredibly disturbing and inhumane. Last January, I introduced the Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act which targets the practice of trafficking infant body parts for profit and ensures taxpayers never have to foot the bill for the endangerment of human life.

President Ronald Reagan once made a profound observation, stating, “I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” How right he was. Every pro-abortion American in this country had a mother who chose life. We owe the most vulnerable population – all innocent babies – a chance to live. As a father, grandfather, Christian and lawmaker, it is my duty to do everything I can to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I’m grateful to be in a position to do so and will continue to be a champion in the fight for the unborn here in Congress.