WASHINGTON, DC, January 5, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Today marked the swearing in of what some, including pro-life Representative Chris Smith, have labeled the “most pro-life” congress in living memory, and possibly even in history.
Ninety-four new House members were sworn in, as well as 13 new senators. Republicans now hold a 242-193 majority in the House, while Democrats hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Besides the overall shift from Democrat to Republican majority in the House, one of the more dramatic changes is the replacement of Nancy Pelosi, a radical abortion supporter, with the staunch pro-life advocate Rep. John Boehner as Speaker of the House.
Boehner has a long pro-life history, enjoying a 0% pro-choice voting record from the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) and a 100% pro-life voting record from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).
Americans United for Life President and CEO Charmaine Yoest today welcomed the new Congress, saying in a statement: “I predict that we will see changes in President Obama’s pro-abortion health care plan and in other pro-life measures as a result of pro-life leadership taking their places in Washington, D.C. today.”
In his opening speech to the House Boehner promised that that the Republican majority would honor their “Pledge to America,” a document outlining the GOP’s agenda that included a section pledging to eliminate federal funding of abortion. The preamble of the “Pledge” states, “We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.”
The new Speaker also invoked his Catholic faith to provide an image of the meaning of true service: “In the Catholic faith, we enter into a season of service by having ashes marked on our foreheads,” he said. “The ashes remind us that life in all its forms is fragile – our time on this Earth, fleeting. As the ashes are delivered, we hear those humbling words: ‘Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’
One of the top priorities for the new Republican House majority will be the repeal, or at least the amendment, of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known to some as Obamacare.
And they’re not wasting any time.
On January 7, the House will vote on a resolution to move forward with repeal of the pro-abortion health care reform law. If the resolution passes, the House is expected to vote on the law’s repeal on Wednesday, January 12.
In coming days the House will also be considering the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” sponsored by Rep. Smith, which will create a government-wide statutory prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion.
They will also be considering the “Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act,” sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), which would ensure that tax dollars are not sent to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood under Title X family planning funds.
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said today that Pence’s bill “is becoming even more important now that Planned Parenthood has told all of its affiliates they are required to perform abortions or lose the organization’s support.”
Today the Susan B Anthony List announced that it is mobilizing its 280,000-member grassroots network to lobby the new Members of Congress to vote for the repeal of the health care law. SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said that “keeping abortion out of health care – as the antitheses to it – was the critical issue with enough votes to stop or pass healthcare.”
“We call on Congress to repeal this law that destroys life using our tax dollars,” she said.