[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 24, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S70]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MARCH FOR LIFE

  Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues in a 
discussion about the right to life and what happened last week in 
Washington, DC, when tens of thousands of Americans of all ages, races, 
and religious backgrounds traveled to our Nation's Capital to march for 
life.
  This March for Life was particularly special since it was the first 
March for Life after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, which made 
this march a special celebration recognizing the unborn lives saved as 
a result of that decision.
  I was proud to see many North Carolinians represent our State in the 
march by participating and fighting for the young babies who do not 
have a voice. But for the voices expressed in the March for Life, they 
would be unheard.
  In January 1974, a brave group of committed pro-life leaders led the 
first March for Life to advocate for a solution to the Supreme Court's 
judicial activism, in my opinion, in the Roe v. Wade case.
  This year, the March for Life was not only an event to advocate for 
the unborn, it was a celebration of the end of Roe and the return of 
pro-life policymaking to the States and, I believe, to the Congress.
  The Dobbs decision is historic and affirms my belief that all life is 
sacred. Each State government and its duly elected representatives now 
make the determination about what types of laws they wish to have in 
place. I, for one, continue to advocate for commonsense measures that 
the majority of Americans support, like protecting life at crucial 
points of development and prohibiting horrendous procedures like 
partial-birth abortion.
  While it is good for us to celebrate the Dobbs decision, as Senators, 
we must remember that the fight for life in the United States is far 
from finished. Our work to enact pro-life policies must continue if we 
are to be a voice for the voiceless.
  I believe Congress must vigorously pursue efforts to defend the 
sanctity of life. Some have said since the Dobbs decision that this is 
something that only States should weigh into, and I respectfully 
disagree.
  Just 2 weeks ago, I was thrilled to see the House pass the Born-Alive 
Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which I am committed to supporting. 
This legislation would protect newborns who survive failed abortions, 
born alive, requiring the same degree of care as a newborn baby. I urge 
Leader Schumer to bring this commonsense bill up to the floor for a 
vote as soon as possible.
  Last Congress, I cosponsored dozens of pro-life bills. This Congress, 
I joined multiple bills to shape Federal policies toward protecting 
life. This includes proposals that would prohibit the use of Federal 
funds for abortion and prohibit Planned Parenthood from using Federal 
funding for abortions.
  When I served as speaker of the house in North Carolina, we passed 
several bills to protect the unborn and to defend life, and it was 
widely supported by the diverse State of North Carolina, which is by no 
means a red State. It is a blue State, maybe a purple State. But when 
you talk about what we were trying to accomplish, the majority of North 
Carolinians supported it.
  I ultimately believe that the States are best situated to set 
policies to support mothers and to protect life. That is why it is 
critical that pro-life advocates contact their State legislators and 
their Governors to ensure that lifesaving protections are enacted to 
defend the unborn in their respective States.
  I am committed to continuing the effort to support life. I am a 
lifetime pro-life Catholic. I make no apology for it because we are the 
voice in the absence of that baby yet to be born, and we have to 
continue to fight for them. I encourage my Senate colleagues to join me 
in doing this.
  Mr. President, I just want to say that I hope that on this issue, 
like so many that we tackled in the last Congress, thorny issues, that 
everybody thought nothing could get done--I really hope that we can get 
people in a room and recognize that we can come together on some basic 
tenets, get rid of the voices at either end of the spectrum that are 
preventing us from making progress on this important issue, because, 
literally, the lives of the unborn--their lives, their opportunity is 
at stake.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.

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