REPS. STEVE SCALISE AND MICHELLE FISCHBACH
The drafters of the U.S. Constitution envisioned it as a lasting framework for our new country’s legal system that would stand the test of time. In their view, the words of our Constitution and its subsequent amendments contained explicit meaning that provided strength and certainty as the supreme law of the land.
However, the framers could not have imagined that nearly two centuries later, the Supreme Court would stray so far from the constitutional text to create their own version of laws.
Such was the case when the court decided Roe v. Wade in 1973 by twisting the “Due Process” clause of the 14th Amendment to create a nonexistent “right to privacy” that the justices equated with a right to take the lives of unborn children through abortion.
For decades, it seemed like Roe v. Wade would never be reversed. Challenge after challenge failed. Democrats in the Senate were quick to destroy any Supreme Court nominee they felt threatened Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. Meanwhile, each year, hundreds of thousands of pro-life young people nationwide came to Washington to participate in the March For Life and pray for an America that cherishes the unborn by ending abortion.
Since the Roe v. Wade ruling, 62 million babies have been murdered due to legalized abortion. This is a sobering and unacceptable reality. But now, thanks to the hard work of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and decades of work from the pro-life movement, the court has accepted a case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, that could finally overturn Roe v. Wade.
As hundreds of thousands of people march for life on Friday, our message to you is, “We pray that this will be the last March For Life with Roe as the law of the land.”
This case is about a Mississippi law limiting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. But we all know it is so much bigger than that. What is represented in this case is the culmination of nearly five decades of work from the pro-life movement.
The movement’s relentless pursuit of protection and justice for unborn babies has been crucial in providing information and resources to women, lawmakers, businesses, churches, and healthcare workers across the country.
While the pro-life movement has historically been bipartisan, today’s Democrats in Congress and President Joe Biden have moved so far to the left they don’t even support the Born Alive Act.
The United States is one of the few remaining countries that allows late-term abortions. The vast majority of Americans are opposed to Democrats’ radical abortion-on-demand agenda. Studies show that 76% of the country wants stricter abortion laws and believes Roe v. Wade is outdated.
The pro-life movement is a large and diverse coalition that includes nurses, doctors, abortion survivors, former pro-abortion doctors, and everyday mothers and fathers. What’s amazing about this movement is that people from all walks of life are unified in our shared mission to reverse this gruesome decision made 49 years ago and resulted in the loss of generations of unborn babies.
At last, we have a case before the Supreme Court that gives us a pathway to correct this horrible mistake.
If Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban is upheld, there are at least a dozen states ready with life-saving laws to protect the unborn.
Attorney General Fitch is representing pro-life Americans, pro-life states, and the unborn on a national stage. This is our moment to allow states to protect life. This is our moment to correct the stain on our nation’s history that Roe v. Wade created in 1973.
Steve Scalise is the U.S. House minority whip, representing Louisiana's 1st Congressional District. Michelle Fischbach represents Minnesota's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House.
