Rep. Chris Smith’s statement on the 2016 March for Life

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) delivered the following statement today at the rally kicking off the 2016 March for Life in Washington, DC.

Today the pro-life movement is stronger than ever and making serious, significant and sustained progress.

At the state level the gains have been historic—282 pro-life laws have been enacted since 2010 including laws to stop dismemberment abortions, require a 72-hour waiting period, and informed consent.

In the last year alone nine powerful, pro-life measures have passed the House including the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Special thanks to Speaker Ryan, Majority Leader McCarthy, Whip Scalise, and Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Although Hillary Clinton wants abortion on demand until birth and to repeal the Hyde amendment, a new Marist poll shows that more Americans want pro-life protections. And opposition to taxpayer funding for abortion has grown from 61 percent in 2009 to 68 percent today.

Planned Parenthood is a significant tip of an ugly iceberg—a multibillion industry that systematically exterminates children and hurts women.

Subsidized by over $500 million taxpayers’ dollars each year, Planned Parenthood dismembers or chemically poisons a baby to death every two minutes—killing over seven million innocent children since 1973. Planned Parenthood is “Child Abuse Inc.” 

Recent undercover videos by Center for Medical Progress have exposed in numbing candor several high level Planned Parenthood leaders gleefully talking about procuring children’s organs for a price, all while altering gruesome dismemberment procedures to preserve “intact” livers, hearts and lungs from freshly killed babies. Watch the videos yourself at centerformedicalprogress.org.

This isn’t the first time Planned Parenthood has been caught doing the unthinkable.

In 2011 undercover videos by Live Action exposed several Planned Parenthood clinics that were eager, ready, and willing to facilitate secret abortions for child sex trafficking victims—some as young or younger than 14—to get them on the streets again.

In 2012 Live Action released another sting operation video, part of a series called “Gendercide: Sex Selection in America,” showing Planned Parenthood staff advising undercover female investigators how to procure sex-selection abortions.

Far too many politicians including our Nobel Peace Prize winning President and much of the media continue to ignore, trivialize—even defend—these gross human rights abuses.

You are the antidote to the present darkness—the culture of death. So for the sake of women and children, be further involved. Defend life with all the courage, insight, compassion, and love you have to muster. Don’t back down or give up or get discouraged. Ever. 

Ask God for strength. Combine persistent prayer and Esther-like fasting with smart and diligent pro-life work at every level, including the political.

Someday soon American policies will change and protect the weakest and most vulnerable. And into eternity you will have been an important part of that human rights struggle.