This week, pro-life Americans marked the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v Jackson 2022 ruling which restored states’ ability to affirm the constitutional right to life for unborn children. For nearly five decades prior, the hopeful witness of pro-life advocates, perseverance of pregnancy centers tirelessly serving their local communities, and faithful work of many at multiple levels of public service planted the seeds for a culture of life, which continues to grow to the benefit of mothers, babies, and fathers in need of hope.
As a cosponsor of the Life at Conception Act, which would implement equal protection for all people, born and preborn, as guaranteed in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, I recognize the pro-life movement has more work to do. Since the Dobbs decision, Nebraska and many other states have moved to establish greater pro-life safeguards, including protection recently enshrined in our state Constitution.
At the federal level, the Hyde Amendment, traditionally attached to annual appropriations bills, prohibits federal funding of abortion procedures. I have long supported ending federal taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, whose 2023-2024 annual report showed it performed more than 402,000 abortions—a record number. With House passage of the reconciliation package in May of this year, I voted to defund the organization, which performs approximately 40 percent of abortions annually.