- June 21, 2024
Lankford Commemorates Dobbs 2nd Anniversary
CLICK HERE to view the remarks on YouTube.
CLICK HERE to view the remarks on Rumble.
WASHINGTON, DC – Ahead of the 2nd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on Monday, June 24, 2024, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Senator Lankford issued a video to reaffirm that this ruling made it clear there is no constitutional right to take the life of an unborn child and returned authority over abortion to the American people and their elected representatives.
Lankford joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and their colleagues to introduce a resolution to celebrate the anniversary of the Dobbs ruling and what it means for protecting women’s health and affirming life.
Joining Lankford and Rubio were Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Jim Risch (R-ID), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Steve Daines (R-MT), Katie Britt (R-AL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Todd Young (R-IN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Roger Marshall (R-KS). US Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced companion legislation in the House.
As chair of the Senate Values Action Team, Lankford led his colleagues in a floor event to ask for unanimous consent to pass commonsense bills that protect women’s health and affirm life. During the event, Lankford requested his Conscience Protection Act pass by unanimous consent, but it was blocked by Democrats. The Conscience Protection Act has received overwhelming support from several pro-life leaders. Last year,Lankford recognized the one-year anniversary on the Senate floor.
Transcript
I’m Senator James Lankford from Oklahoma, and like millions of other people, I’m celebrating the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision from the Supreme Court. For about 180 years, our nation had this basic principle that the people decide when life actually begins. Then, 50 years ago, the Supreme Court stepped in and said, no, the Supreme Court’s going to decide and no one else gets a voice on that.
Two years ago, the Supreme Court stepped back in and said we were wrong. The people will decide about life. Now, we have this national conversation again. We all have the opportunity to be able to look at a sonogram and to be able to look at a developing child and to say, is that tissue that just random collection of cells, or is that a child in the womb sucking their thumb, stretching their legs and their feet out?
Is that a baby? I believe when you look inside the womb, you don’t just see a random collection of cells that are disposable. I think you can look inside the womb, at the sonogram, and to see a child that’s valuable. That baby is precious. The only difference between that child in the womb and that child as a kindergartner is just time.
There’s no other difference between that child. Every single cell in a woman’s body has the exact same DNA. Except for those cells. Those cells are different. There’s DNA that’s different than any other human being on the planet. They’re unique because it’s a brand-new person that’s there. So, for all of us celebrating the value of every child, this is a good day to be able to look at it.
And it’s a way to keep the conversation going. Politically, it’s amazing to me the number of people saying, stop talking about abortion, stop talking about all these issues—there’s politics involved. And I typically will smile at them and say, ‘I understand the politics, but also understand we’re talking about a baby. A baby is not politics. That’s a child. So let’s keep talking about the mom, let’s keep talking about the dad, and let’s keep talking about that baby. Because everywhere that there’s a conversation about abortion, there are three people that are in that conversation a mom, dad and a child. And I’m going to do whatever I can to be able to make sure all three of those voices are heard and respected, and that we as a nation, speak out for those who can’t speak for themselves.’
The value of the most vulnerable in our country; that child in the womb. So, let’s celebrate the time period that we all have. The ability to be able to talk about the value of every single child, and what we’re going to do about that as a state, as a community, and as a nation.
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