Lankford Joins Vice President Pence at White House Event to Highlight Progress in Protecting Lives of the Unborn

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Vice President Mike Pence to acknowledge and celebrate pro-life progress in our nation during the Trump Administration at the “Life is Winning” event. Today’s event included remarks by several federal agency leaders involved in President Trump’s pro-life initiatives, including Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar. Earlier this year, Lankford joined President Trump on stage at the March for Life, marking the first time a US President has attended the pro-life rally.

“I am grateful President Trump and Vice President Pence have worked so closely with me and other pro-life legislators to implement numerous pro-life policies, press for legislative solutions to protect life and conscience like the actions announced today, and help ensure women have access to the important health care they need,” said Lankford. “I believe all people—from fertilization to natural death—have value and worth. We still have much work ahead of us to fully protect and honor the lives of unborn children in our nation, but we have taken numerous positive steps toward that important goal in the last few years. I appreciate the opportunity to come together to acknowledge our progress and our ongoing commitment to life at all stages.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced at the White House today that the HHS Office of Civil Rights will take action in Vermont and California concerning the enforcement of federal conscience protections for Americans. Lankford’s Conscience Protection Act would codify these in law for all Americans. Lankford raised the issue of conscience protections at a Senate hearing earlier this year.

In September, Lankford applauded President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting Vulnerable Newborn and Infant Children, which took an extraordinary step to protect newborns, pre-mature babies, and infant lives. Lankford recently introduced the Women’s Public Health and Safety Act, which gives states the authority to exclude abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lankford also joined more than two dozen senators to call on the Department of Treasury to investigate Planned Parenthood’s abuse of the taxpayer-funded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and separately called on the Department of Justice to expand its ongoing investigation of Planned Parenthood in the wake of new evidence of criminal activity. Lankford also recently joined a bicameral letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to call for new regulations to end tax breaks for abortion under the guise of health care, as well as a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to urge it to remove the abortion pill from the US market.

To prevent US funding for abortion abroad, Lankford recently led a bicameral letter to the Acting Administrator for the US Agency for International Development John Barsa to urge him to protect American taxpayer dollars during the pandemic from funding pro-abortion lobbying or advocacy efforts in other countries via the United Nations. This practice is in violation of the Siljander Amendment, which prevents State Department funds from being used to lobby for abortion.

During the 115^th and 116^th Congresses, which span the Trump Administration, Lankford cosponsored the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protect Act. He also spoke on infanticide and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on the Senate floor. Lankford introduced the Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act. He supported pro-life conservative priorities including the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, the Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act, the Down Syndrome Discrimination by Abortion Prohibition Act, and the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, 

Lankford is Chair of the Senate Values Action Team and member of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, which advocates for issues including life and conscience protections. He received an “A” rating from the Susan B. Anthony List for his pro-life voting record.

###