Billy Long: I will continue to support pro-life legislation

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

Each January, thousands of pro-life Americans, including hundreds from Missouri, travel from all over the country to Washington, D.C. to attend the annual March for Life.

This event started following the controversial Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case in 1973, which made killing innocent children in the womb perfectly legal in all 50 states. Let that sink in. 

As a senior in high school when this decision came down, I could not fathom how it could possibly be legal to kill an innocent unborn child. Now, 46 years later, as a U.S. Congressman, my opinion remains the same.

Since Roe v. Wade, several states, including Missouri, took it upon themselves to ensure that the sanctity of life is protected at every stage of pregnancy. However, states like New York and Virginia have done the exact opposite. Governor Cuomo of New York recently signed a bill into law that will allow women to have an abortion at any point during their pregnancy, including up until moments before birth. This bill was wildly cheered by New Your lawmakers upon passage. Think about that for a minute.

Virginia has proposed something similar. A Virginia House Delegate introduced a bill that would allow a woman to have an abortion up until delivery. Thankfully, due to a Republican majority in the Virginia House of Delegates, this bill was tabled in committee. But not before Governor Ralph Northam, a pediatrician, (A.K.A. “First do no harm”) no less spoke in favor of infanticide. “To Full Term and Beyond!” which prompted someone to go to their “bookcase and return” with the medical school yearbook that featured one person in blackface and one in a KKK hood on Governor Northam’s page. The good governor has not had a good week.

I have worked hard to correct this egregious policy by passing legislation and advocating on behalf of pro-life policies. So far in the 116th Congress, I have cosponsored a number of bills that would aim to protect the unborn by stripping money from abortion providing institutions, such as Planned Parenthood, and establishing that human life begins at conception. Along with cosponsoring legislation, in January, my pro-life colleagues and I sent a letter to President Trump urging him to veto any legislation that would weaken or reverse pro-life protections currently in place. President Trump responded by sending a letter to Speaker Pelosi vowing to not sign any pro-choice legislation.

President Trump has continuously emphasized that the most basic duty of government is to guard the innocent. I don’t take this job lightly and understand the importance of this responsibility. My pro-life colleagues and I will continue to support legislation that protects innocent lives, while also ensuring current pro-life policies remain in place.