As Congress continues to simmer over the effects of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) is spearheading a modern pro-life legislative effort. This Friday, Mooney will introduce the Life at Conception Act, which would protect unborn children from the earliest stages of their lives.
Pro-life groups made their disdain for Congress clear earlier this month when Republican lawmakers refused to vote on a ban on abortions at 20 weeks, saying it was too radical. The bill was replaced with a more moderate one that proposed banning the employ of government funds for abortions. The move was especially shocking given that the GOP had gained a modern majority in Congress, in part because of its commitment to defending the unborn. In another tragic irony, the annual March for Life was taking place simultaneously outside on the National Mall. Now, on the heels of that controversy, Rep. Mooney has decided to introduce an even bolder pro-life bill.
According to the text of the bill, the “Life at Conception Act” would implement the protection of the right to life of every born and unborn human being. It refers to 14t Amendment as a protective measure.
Mooney spoke with Town hall about his upcoming legislation and said the beauty of the bill lies in its simplicity:
“It’s just a two-page bill. So it’s not like some of the bills here that are hundreds and hundreds of pages long.”
He then read a significant passage from the bill that guarantees every human being the right to life from the moment of conception:
“The terms “human person” and “human being” encompass every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or any other point at which an individual of the human species comes into being.”
In other words, this is a piece of legislation that is based on pure science, not politics:
“You don’t have to look at it through the prism of religion, you don’t have to look at it through the prism of politics. You can just look at it like a biologist.”
While pro-lifers continue to criticize Congress for allowing the Pain-Capable Act to die, Mooney said it was a factor in the timing of his own bill:
“Yes, that’s right. I want to move quickly. I want the American people and my constituents to see that many of us If fighting for the right to life.”
The Life at Conception Act was originally introduced last year by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who asked Mooney if he would be interested in taking over this year. Based on Mooney’s pro-life resume, Jordan clearly made a wise choice. Mooney has been dynamic in the pro-life movement since his days at Dartmouth College, when he was president of the pro-life group on his campus. He recounted standing in the school cafeteria handing out handouts about prenatal development.
“I’ve always believed in defending human life. I didn’t convince everyone who passed me in the school cafeteria that life begins at conception and abortion is wrong, but I certainly got them thinking about it.”
Mooney hopes to accomplish the same thing with this pro-life legislation.
Given that last year the bill gained 130 co-sponsors, including one pro-life Democrat, Mooney is hopeful it will find similar support this time.
One more significant note. When Roe v. Wade was passed in 1973, the justices struck down pro-life state laws and legalized abortion without specifying when, exactly, human life began. Mooney said his bill would expose their ignorance and reverse the court’s tragic decision. It would give states back the power to redefine their own protections for the unborn.
To critics who will undoubtedly condemn his legislation as too radical, Mooney has a basic answer:
“It’s a biological fact. Conception is the moment life begins. Most Americans understand that and agree with that.”
