August 17, 2021
This month, we’re recognizing Representative Chip Roy (R-TX-21) as our Pro-Life Gen Leader of August for his momentous efforts to combat dangerous Chemical Abortion Pills on college campuses and consistent engagement in various pro-life issues.
In July, Rep. Roy introduced H.R. 4607, the Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021. We were proud to partner with Rep. Roy in conceptualizing and drafting of this legislation, making it the first federal bill inspired by SFLAction. If passed, this bill would prohibit federal funds from being directed to institutions of higher education that dispense abortions to students and faculty. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), who was our Pro-Life Gen Leader of the Month in May, introduced the companion bill, S. 2408, in the U.S. Senate as well.
Students for Life of America, our sister organization, identified Chemical Abortion as a major upcoming threat back in 2017 when California State Senator Connie Leyva introduced S.B. 320, a bill that would require publicly funded colleges dispense free Chemical Abortion pills to students through their campus health centers. We successfully mobilized against this bill, setting up provocative and educational displays on our college campuses, meeting with California college presidents to express our concerns, protesting outside of government buildings, and gathering at the State Capitol to protest, lobby, and testify. Former California Governor Jerry Brown utilized one of our talking points when he vetoed the bill, saying it was “unnecessary” because of the availability of abortion facilities in all college communities.
Unfortunately, State Senator Leyva re-introduced the bill as S.B. 24 in 2019, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. This bill only supports the predatory abortion industry, leaving vulnerable college women and their babies to deal with the deadly consequences. State Senator Leyva made her intentions clear when introducing this bill. She wanted to see similar legislation introduced throughout the entire country, mandating all public colleges and universities across America are converted into abortion vendors. Since then, states like New York and Massachusetts have followed suit, introducing nearly identical bills.
Here’s why Chemical Abortion, also known as RU-486, is such a bad idea.
- Nearly 40% of abortions are committed with Chemical Abortion Pills.
- RU-486 is not Plan B or birth control. It’s a two-step regimen that starves a preborn baby to death then induces labor.
- The mother often delivers her dead baby in a toilet and is told to flush without looking so she doesn’t see the baby’s distinguishable features.
- Chemical Abortion has 4x the complication rate and 10x the death rate of surgical abortion.
- Side effects of RU-486 include heavy bleeding, severe uterine and stomach cramps, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, immune system inhibition, future fertility issues, infection, septic shock, and even death.
- More than 20 women whom we know of have died after taking Chemical Abortion Pills.
- Possible emotional and psychological side effects associated with abortion include grief, regret, isolation, substance abuse, insomnia, nightmares, relationship issues, depression, anxiety, and even suicide.
Turning American colleges and universities into abortion vendors serves no educational purpose. In fact, it puts women’s lives at risk and creates increased liabilities for schools. As college presidents have expressed, they are not prepared for the time, cost, and liabilities associated with converting campus health centers into abortion facilities. In the event of an emergency where surgical intervention may be required, campus health centers do not have the training or resources needed to provide critical care following abortion complications.
Chemical Abortion can be a very intense and bloody process. Subjecting students to this experience in dingy shared-housing bathrooms can be traumatic to fellow students. Additionally, health center employees who do not want to take part in abortion due to their moral values may be forced to participate or be fired, violating their conscience rights. Finally, when federal funds and student fees contribute to college health centers, students and taxpayers become complicit in the abortions happening on campus through fungibility.
Bills like S.B. 24 are a clear and present danger to our campus communities, making college students amateur abortionists as they DIY their own abortions.
That’s why the Protecting Life on College Campus Act is so vital and timely. Colleges are meant to be institutions of higher education, not abortion facilities. Our campus communities should help further the education of pregnant students by offering resources and support rather than encouraging mothers to kill their children. The Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021 would help incentivize this and protect students from the violence of abortion.
To engage in this issue, click here to tell your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative to co-sponsor the Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021.
In addition to tackling abortion on college campuses, Rep. Roy introduced H.R. 2488, the No Taxpayer Funding for the United Nations Population Fund Act in April. This bill would permanently block taxpayer dollars from funding the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). This bill is important because the UNFPA provided nearly $625,000 to China in 2019 for “integrated sexual and reproductive health services.”
China is known to endorse “population control” by committing forced sterilizations and abortions on its own citizens. More than 30 million abortions have been committed in China due to their “one-child” policy. However, in 2016, China’s rapidly shrinking population led to a revised policy allowing two children per family. The Chinese government has also funded nearly 200,000 forced sterilizations on a specific minority community. Women of the Uighur ethnic and religious minority group in Xinjiang have been forced to undergo intrauterine device implantation, sterilization, and abortions against their will.
Providing money to China through the UNFPA indirectly funds abortions and endorses China’s violent oppression of both women and minority groups. With 77% of Americans opposing taxpayer funding of international abortions, this a commonsense bill that legislators on both sides of the political aisle should support.
Rep. Chip Roy is a true pro-life champion the Pro-Life Generation can rely on. Not only does he support existing pro-life bills, but he also proactively introduces supplementary legislation to address the violent and discriminatory agenda of the abortion lobby.
Please join us in thanking Representative Chip Roy, our Pro-Life Gen Leader of the Month, for his dedication to protecting mothers and babies through pro-life legislation! Tweet him @RepChipRoy