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Earlier this year, following the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, I called on Senate leaders to take up the bill immediately. I was encouraged that this week, that call was answered, but I’m disappointed my Democratic colleagues blocked the bill from moving forward.
 
The dignity of each and every human life is fundamental to our nation. It is impossible for America to reach her destiny as a nation founded on the equal rights of all if our government believes an entire segment of the human population doesn’t have a right to exist. The issue of life is more than political or policy-related, it is a definitional issue about the kind of country we want to be.
 
This bill, while just a step toward achieving that goal, would be a step in the right direction. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which I sponsored in the Senate, would ban abortions after 20 weeks, saving the lives of unborn children who can feel pain, respond to touch, and recognize their mothers’ voices.
 
This is a policy on which the United States lags far behind the rest of the world. We are one of only seven countries that allow elective abortion past 20 weeks, joining, among others, China and North Korea. This is a tragedy that cannot stand.
 
In a world where life is increasingly not valued, where people are summarily discarded, America must stand for the belief that all life is worthy of protection. I’m proud to support this bill.