September 18, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) — Following in his late father’s footsteps, Sen. Robert (Bob) Casey (D-Pennsylvania) was sworn into office under the promise of protecting the sanctity of life — one of the few from the Democratic Party saying he was willing to defend the rights of the unborn. However, thus far he has failed to uphold the convictions of his original pro-life platform and is now reluctant to protect the innocent life that his late father fought extremely hard to defend.
His father, former Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Patrick Casey, also ran as a Democrat. Despite pushback from fellow party members, he was a champion in guarding the right to life. He also supported new programs for women’s healthcare as well as a statewide adoption network for children.
His pro-life contributions include the Abortion Control Act that would make certain that parents were notified when a minor is seeking an abortion, ban certain partial-birth abortion procedures, and require “informed consent” and a 24-hour waiting period between requesting and receiving an abortion. One of his most notable pro-life pieces of legislation was the subject of the 1992 Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa v. Casey. Although the Court ruled in favor of the Planned Parenthood clinic, ruling that Gov. Casey’s Abortion Care Act violated the Roe v. Wade decision, it opened the door for Casey’s parental consent and the 24-hour waiting period provisions to be enacted in future legislation. A columnist quoted an unofficial speech by former Gov. Casey:
“Twice in American history,” said Casey, the law “excluded an entire class of people from their most sacred human rights.” The first was the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision when blacks, slave or free, were told they were property, with no rights of their own. The second time, Casey continued, was Roe vs. Wade: “An entire class of human beings was excluded from the protection of the law, their fate declared a private matter.”
When he first ran for office, Sen. Bob Casey entered Congress on the same basic premise. But fast forward to today, and he is singing a different tune. Sen. Casey supported the ObamaCare bill which allowed for taxpayer-funded abortion, which includes funding organizations like Planned Parenthood. After the recent videos exposing Planned Parenthood and the selling of baby body parts for profit, Sen. Casey should be ashamed of his decision — especially since Planned Parenthood is not concerned for women’s health like they often portray. Something many Americans may not be aware of is the fact that the group does not even do mammograms, which is a basic procedure in women’s health.
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Since the 1970s, Planned Parenthood has murdered over six million human beings (many of them female). Thanks to the recent videos, the group’s blatant disregard for human life is becoming even more excruciatingly apparent. This is no longer just something that pro-life groups are saying; these words are coming straight from the mouths of Planned Parenthood employees. In the recent video clips, employees poke and prod the body parts, acknowledging the humanity inside their petri dish with phrases like “it’s a baby” and “we have another boy!”
Concerned Women for America, along with our numerous Pennsylvania members, is calling upon Sen. Casey to return to the platform on which he was voted into office. Americans are paying over $528 million dollars annually to fund Planned Parenthood, and they are fed up with the appalling use of their hard-earned money. Congress must make certain that these funds are redirected to the over 9,000 health centers that actually help women without performing abortions. Along those same lines, we are pushing for Sen. Casey to be the champion that his father was and speak up in support of the Pain-Capable ban This piece of legislation would protect the most vulnerable human beings at 20 weeks, a point in development when they are able to feel the excruciating pain of late-term abortion. The majority of Americans, including Pennsylvanians, support this bill, and it is due time for our elected officials to listen to their constituents.
Sen. Casey, it is not too late to follow in your father’s footsteps and leave a legacy for future generations to come.
Hannah Wegman is the Project Coordinator/Writer at Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization with 500,000 members across the country.