FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2021
Contact: Mallory Quigley, [email protected], 703-380-6674
HHS Sec. Becerra Tells Abortion Industry: “We Have Your Back”
Washington, D.C. – HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra today announced a series of actions to undermine Texas’ pro-life laws and funnel money to the abortion industry.
The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List blasted the Biden administration’s pro-abortion extremism in a statement:
“There are no lengths the Biden administration won’t go to in their drive to prop up the abortion industry and impose abortion on demand up to birth nationwide, on a public that resoundingly rejects their agenda,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Texas is not California, no matter how hard Xavier Becerra tries to export his pro-abortion legacy. All Americans deserve the right to debate, find consensus and enact laws that reflect their values – that’s how democracy works. Yet for almost fifty years, the Supreme Court has tied the hands of state legislators, and now Joe Biden and his radical allies want to shut down the debate permanently.
“The pro-life movement stands with Texas in their efforts to protect unborn children, support mothers and families with compassionate, life-affirming alternatives, and fight this egregious Washington overreach. The Heartbeat Act is estimated to have saved 2,000 lives, or more than 130 a day, since it went into effect. We will never tire of standing for life.”
The Biden administration is suing Texas over its law protecting unborn babies when their heartbeat can be detected. The Department of Justice is considering using federal facilities in the state to perform abortions and potentially stripping Texas of federal funding. A federal judge rejected the administration’s request for a preliminary injunction and the law will remain in effect during litigation.
A Rasmussen poll released earlier this month shows that 46% of likely voters support Texas’ law, versus 43% who do not.
On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision allowing the Texas Heartbeat Act to remain in effect, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced plans to hold a vote on the so-called “Women’s Health Protection Act” following President Biden’s call for such action. This bill would expand abortion on demand by preventing enforcement of existing laws that protect unborn children at the federal and state level and blocking states from passing new pro-life laws.
Public opinion polls consistently show a strong majority of Americans reject pro-abortion extremism. Earlier this year, SBA List launched a nationwide campaign asserting the humanity of unborn children which is evident throughout pregnancy:
- By 6 weeks:
- Unborn babies in the womb have a heartbeat.
- Blood vessels are forming into the circulatory system.
- The brain and spinal cord are beginning to develop.
- By 10 weeks:
- Babies have arms and legs, fingers and toes.
- The baby can kick and will jump if startled.
- Their pain receptors have been developing for weeks (week 7).
- At 15 weeks, babies:
- Have fully developed hearts – pumping 26 quarts of blood per day.
- Have fully formed noses and lips, and eyelids and eyebrows.
- Can taste and make facial expressions, yawn, hiccup, swallow, and suck their thumbs.
- They can feel pain: by 13 to 14 weeks, almost the entire body responds to light touch; brain structures are mature enough by 15 weeks to process pain; painful procedures trigger a hormonal stress response.
SBA List is a network of more than 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
###
