Washington, DC — U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) gave a floor speech last week previewing the March for Life in Washington and recognizing pro-life warriors including Illinois’ own Honorable Henry Hyde and Irene Napier, President Emeritus of Right to Life of McHenry County. This week, Rep. Hultgren hosted students from McHenry County and marched with them today to the Supreme Court to mark the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Video link: http://youtu.be/tf6eZ53NgeI
Following are Rep. Hultgren’s prepared remarks:
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I rise today to remember with sadness the 41 years since the Supreme Court’s sweeping Roe v. Wade decision.
More than 55 million have lost their lives to abortion.
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But after that fateful January, the pro-life movement was born.
As Americans United for Life put it, the pro-life movement desires a nation in which “everyone is welcomed in life and protected in law.”
And many warriors have taken up that cause.
Next week, many thousands will make the pilgrimage to the March for Life here in Washington to mark and protest the havoc Roe v. Wade has left in its wake.
Pro-life warrior Nellie Gray started the March, and this annual event has rallied Americans and exposed the brutality of this procedure.
A country complicit in taking thousands of lives each day tarnishes a legacy of liberty and justice for all.
Defending human life at all stages shouldn’t be a political issue.
Defending human life is a moral issue.
It is a moral outrage and a violation of religious liberty for any American to be forced to participate in the funding of abortion.
No one believed this more than the late Honorable Henry Hyde.
Another warrior for life and my hero and mentor, Henry Hyde represented Illinois’ 6th Congressional District for 33 years.
His crowning achievement—the Hyde Amendment—barred the use of taxpayer funds for abortion.
Congress has reaffirmed this amendment over and over again.
We must protect this principle by passing bills like the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, a bill which would make the Hyde amendment permanent and government-wide.
No one should be coerced into paying for a procedure that violates their conscience.
Another warrior for life—Irene Napier—is a woman who lives in the district I represent, the 14th District of Illinois.
This Crystal Lake resident has dedicated her life to defending the unborn.
Now President Emeritus of the Right to Life of McHenry County, through the years Irene has stood up for the truth that every child should be given a chance to be loved and wanted.
Every human life has inherent dignity that is worth protecting.
When we allow abortion, we are really saying that human lives are disposable…
…that we can throw away anything or anyone that inconveniences us.
But people like Irene, Henry, and Nellie—and all of us who claim to be pro-life—know that notion is repugnant, and we reject it.
Each child, each mother, is a unique gift.
No one should throw that gift away.
I yield back. Thank you.
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