Graves: Pro-life cause has new hope with President Trump

(From Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves)

After the inauguration of President Trump earlier this month, our pro-life cause has new hope, with allies across all parts of government in Washington.

It is estimated that there are more than 900,000 abortions performed in the United States every year. That is devastating, and something we should all be truly ashamed of.

But it is also a reminder that we must do more to protect the most vulnerable members of our society. And it’s something that Congress has already begun working to change with a pro-life White House on our side.

Last week, I helped pass H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act of 2017, through the House of Representatives. This bipartisan bill creates a permanent, government-wide prohibition against using federal dollars to pay for abortions.

Additionally, I've been working to introduce a few other pieces of legislation that will help advance the pro-life cause.

The first is the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2017. In the last reported year alone, Planned Parenthood performed over 323,000 abortions and received over $550 million dollars in taxpayer funding - all according to their own math. Our bill will make sure that stops.

The second is the Conscience Protection Act, which prevents any federal, state, or local government from penalizing a health care provider that chooses not to offer or perform abortions.

In the 115th Congress, with a pro-life administration, Senate, and House of Representatives all united in the cause for life, we have an opportunity to make real, tangible differences in the lives of the unborn. I pledge to make the most of that opportunity, and will keep working to ensure these and other pro-life bills are signed into law by President Trump.