Billy Long: We need to keep standing up for life

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

Life begins at conception. This is not an opinion but a biological fact. 

We know that a heartbeat can be detected at 6 weeks as a fetus develops in the womb. Not long after that, the fetus can feel pain. 

State legislatures across the country have been trying for years to protect the innocent unborn at the earliest stages possible by passing bills banning abortion after a heartbeat can be detected. Until recently, these laws have been struck down by the courts, but that all changed a few weeks ago.

On May 19, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed SB 8, the Texas Heartbeat Act, into law. Like many before it, this law bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, but there is one major change from the others. While other bills have allowed a state to criminally charge defendants who perform illegal abortions, this one leaves it to the public at large. SB 8 set up civil enforcement for the law, meaning that anyone can file a lawsuit against abortion providers for performing an abortion after the heartbeat is detected. A successful lawsuit could force the provider to pay $10,000 for each violation.

On September 1, 2021, the United States Supreme Court refused to strike down the law and allowed it to go into effect. The Court’s decision was based on the change in enforcement. While the ruling is encouraging, this isn’t the last time we will hear about this issue in the high court. In an unprecedented politicization of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick Garland has promised to take legal action against the state of Texas.

Lawsuits against the Texas Heartbeat Act and other pro-life bills aren’t the only things Democrats are doing to attack the unborn. Their $3.5 trillion spending package contains an array of pro-abortion provisions. Their spending package mandates that insurance companies in the Obamacare exchanges provide abortion coverage to individuals and families. This means that Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers would be reimbursed for some abortion procedures. Additionally, the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer dollars from going to abortion providers, is non-existent in their spending bill, which means taxpayer funds will be used for abortion-related services. The Hyde Amendment has been bipartisan policy for over 40 years. To show just how radical this change is, all but two House Democrats voted in favor of last year’s funding bill that included the Hyde Amendment. Now, Republicans are labeled as radicals for wanting to maintain Hyde Amendment protections.

While the ruling on the Texas Heartbeat Act is a small victory, the unborn continue to be attacked by Democrats and far-left radicals. We are working in Congress to slow down the progress of the Democrat’s reckless spending bill, restore the Hyde Amendment, and remove anti-life provisions that have been inserted by Democrat members of Congress.