Dr. Marshall’s First Bill as U.S. Senator Protects Life of the Unborn

(Washington, D.C., January 28, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. introduced his first piece of legislation as a U.S. Senator – The Protecting Life in Crisis Act. The legislation prohibits any funds that are authorized or appropriated for the purposes of preventing, preparing for, or responding to the COVID–19 pandemic, domestically and internationally, from going toward abortions or abortion coverage. Additionally, Senator Marshall has signed on to 14 pieces of legislation to continue his fight to protect unborn children and their mothers, as well as joined the Senate Pro-life Caucus. Recently, Senator Marshall received an A+ rating from the Susan B. Anthony National List for his work in the 116th Congress on pro-life issues.

“Being pro-life is just part of who I am and there is no other alternative. As an obstetrician, it’s been a thrill of my life to get to bring thousands of babies into the world and now it’s a thrill of my life to be in the U.S. Senate and continue the fight for pro-life policies,” said Senator Marshall. “While those on the far left including in the new Administration continue to advocate against human life, I will keep doing what Kansans sent me to Washington to do: continue my lifelong fight for the wellbeing of mothers and their babies and working to end the practice of abortion.”

Background:

Senator Marshall Introduced the Protecting Life in Crisis Act, which extends existing Hyde Amendment protections to any COVID-19-related healthcare provisions. Specifically, this bill prohibits any funds that are authorized or appropriated for the purposes of preventing, preparing for, or responding to the COVID–19 pandemic, domestically and internationally, from going toward abortions or abortion coverage. So far, Senators Jim Inhofe (OK), Mike Rounds (SD), Steve Daines (MT), Marsha Blackburn, Thom Tillis (NC), and Mike Braun (IN), Rand Paul (KY), Jerry Moran (KS) has cosponsored the legislation.

Additionally, Senator Marshall has signed on as an original cosponsor of the following pieces of legislation:

• Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act: This bill requires that appropriate care be given to any child who survives an attempted abortion. The bill also allows federal murder charges to be brought against anyone who intentionally kills such a born-alive child.

• Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act: This bill would exclude elective abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from the Title X family planning program.

• Life at Conception Act: This bill ensures that current right to life protections granted by the 14th Amendment are truly guaranteed to all human beings, including unborn children at all stages of development. The Constitution already guarantees the right to life in the 14th Amendment, this bill simply enforces the law and ensures those same protections are extended to the most vulnerable members of our society.

• Defund Planned Parenthood Act: This bill would ensure that federal tax dollars are not going to Planned Parenthood or any other organizations that perform abortions. Funds for these services would continue to be provided to entities that are eligible and not performing abortions, such as community health centers.

• No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act: This bill would codify the Hyde Amendment, prohibiting Federal funding for elective abortion, as a permanent, government-wide prohibition. It also would restrict Obamacare’s premium tax credits from being used for elective abortion coverage on the exchanges.

• Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act: This bill prohibits abortions after 20-weeks, a point at which research has shown unborn children feel pain.

• Down Syndrome Protection Act: This bill prohibits the performance of an abortion being sought due to the unborn child having Down syndrome.

• Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act: This bill would prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from conducting or supporting any research involving human fetal tissue that is obtained pursuant to an induced abortion.

• Support and Value Expectant (SAVE) Moms and Babies Act: This bill would prevent labeling changes for already approved abortion drugs; prevent providers from dispensing these drugs remotely, by mail, or via telemedicine; and prevent the FDA from approving any new chemical abortion drugs.

• Women’s Public Health and Safety Act: This bill clarifies the authority of states to exclude providers of elective abortion like Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid program. Planned Parenthood receives about half a billion dollars in tax-payer funding per year, most of which comes from Medicaid.

• Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA): Currently, only 11 states ban abortions that are sought on the basis of sex. PRENDA would combat the worrying trend of sex-selective abortion in America by making it a federal crime to abort a child based on his or her gender.

• Pregnant Women Health and Safety Act: This bill would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 15 miles of their practices. The bill also requires abortion centers to meet state-mandated requirements for ambulatory surgery centers.

• Parental Notification and Intervention Act: This bill prohibits a person or organization from performing, facilitating, or assisting in the performance of an abortion on an un-emancipated minor without first complying with parental notification requirements.

• Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act: The bill would codify an expanded version of the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy, also known as the Mexico City Policy. Specifically, the bill would ensure that no funds be made available to foreign non-governmental organizations, multi-lateral nonprofits, and quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations that perform abortions, counsel for abortion, lobby for abortion policies or expanded access, or provide funding or resources for any entity, including domestic non-governmental organizations and non-profits, that perform abortions abroad.