The right to life

Americans from communities large and small hold marches and events every January to celebrate the right to life. It's a tradition that began back in 1974, the year after the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. Thankfully, the Supreme Court restored the people's right, acting through their elected representatives, to answer the question of when life begins. While this was a momentous occasion for the pro-life movement, there's no question that the fight to protect the most vulnerable members of society is far from over.

Every single life has such profound purpose, value and meaning. I have, and always will be, a staunch advocate for the right to life. I'm incredibly proud to have earned an A+ rating from Susan B. Anthony, and have a 100% rating from the National Right to Life scorecard. Unfortunately, the radical Left is working around the clock to force its pro-abortion agenda on Americans, whether it's at the local, state or federal level. But we cannot -- we must not -- be discouraged by the Left's efforts. Our cause is just, and I am proud to stand on the side of life.

Just this month, the House passed legislation I led that will stop the Biden administration from cutting off a critical source of funding for pregnancy resource centers. These facilities, which were vandalized and even firebombed by the radical Left following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, provide care and support for pregnant women looking for alternatives for abortion. If the Biden administration's policy takes effect, women will have fewer alternatives to abortion and less access to maternal care. It's unacceptable that the Biden administration is trying to make it harder for mothers to choose life for their unborn child and take care of themselves and their baby.

As part of my fight to stop the Left's radical pro-abortion agenda, I coauthored the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The legislation, which the House passed last year, requires health care professionals who are present when a baby survives an attempted abortion to provide the same degree of care that would reasonably be given to any other infant born alive at the same age, and ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. I also coauthored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act to help stop federal funding for abortions.

Here in Missouri, we're incredibly fortunate that the vast majority of our elected officials support the right to life. Thanks to legislation passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson back in 2019, Missouri's pro-life law went into effect just minutes after the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. We're also fortunate to have an attorney general like Andrew Bailey who has secured major court victories protecting the right to life.

While states like Missouri are leaders when it comes to protecting the unborn, we must work every day to win hearts and minds that every life has value. As your voice in Washington, I will always advocate for the unborn and never back down in the fight to defend our rural values and way of life.

JASON SMITH represents Missouri's 8th Congressional District.