March for Life

Floor Speech

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Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize my colleagues this solemn day. It is the day we commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I have said it before and continue to say, as I have many times, I am pro-life. I am pro-family. I am pro-child. I join my colleagues and constituents in Alabama's Fourth Congressional District in remembering the, literally, millions of babies that have been aborted since that 1973 decision.

Mr. Speaker, this year we are possibly on the brink of a transformational moment in our history, a moment of hope that we really haven't had for many, many years, the reversal of or major changes to Roe v. Wade.

As most of us know, in June of this year we expect the U.S. Supreme Court to hand down a decision on the Dobbs v. Jackson case. In deciding this case, the Supreme Court has the opportunity to protect the lives of unborn children after the 15-week mark of pregnancy.

Mr. Speaker, I think we all have to be clear. Even if the Supreme Court upholds the Mississippi law as it is written, abortion will not be banned nationwide. It simply gives the power back to the States. For me, my pro-life stance is deeply rooted in my Christian faith. Just as important, my opposition to abortion is about doing what is right. It is about protecting unborn babies. It is about not trying to impose my faith on anyone else.

Mr. Speaker, that is because it is also rooted in science. Like much of science, our scope of knowledge on the development of unborn babies has advanced farther than what we knew back in 1973. It is time for our laws to catch up.

At 15 weeks, an unborn baby has a heartbeat. It can open and close its fingers and hands. It can taste. It can even feel pain. No argument in favor of abortion can overcome one unchanging fact, and that is abortion stops a beating heart.

Given developments of unborn babies at 15 weeks, abortions after this timeframe often involve gruesome medical procedures that are dangerous for mothers and undoubtedly painful to the baby.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues, as we look forward, as we return back to our States, and as this issue is hopefully turned over into the hands of the States, we can make groundbreaking steps in saving the lives of the unborn.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I now yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann).

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