On Friday, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) led 60 House Republicans in introducing House Resolution 1167 to discharge the Life at Conception Act from Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV). This comes after the idea was floated at a Republican Study Committee (RSC) meeting last month, to which Townhall was exclusively invited. Townhall also spoke with Rep. Good about his commitment to legislation such as Reps. Mooney's and Mike Kelly's (R-PA) Heartbeat Protection Act. Rep. Good told Townhall at the time that he "certainly prefer[red]" Mooney's legislation.
The bill's text in part reads, "To implement equal protection for the right to life of each born and preborn human person, and pursuant to the duty and authority of the Congress, including Congress' power under article I, section 8, to make necessary and proper laws, and Congress' power under section 5 of the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the Congress hereby declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being."
Like other pro-life legislation that has passed or been considered, the bill, in no uncertain terms, notes that the mother will not be criminalized for the death of her unborn child.
"As we anticipate the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, it is important that the Congress take a bold stance in the defense of life. I am proud to lead 60 of my fellow conservatives in demanding a vote on the Life at Conception Act. The science demonstrates that life begins at conception, and voters deserve to know where their Representative really stands on protecting all innocent unborn life," Rep. Good said in a press release.
Rep. Mooney also weighed in. "Protecting life is one of my top priorities in Congress. I am honored to be the lead sponsor of the Life at Conception Act, which defines human life as beginning at the moment of conception. Respecting human life from the moment of conception until natural death is not simply a religious belief, it is a scientific fact that life begins at conception. I urge my colleagues in Congress to define human life at conception. The preborn are the most helpless among us, and they need us to protect them," he's quoted as saying in the press release.
When it comes to discharge petitions, 218 members must sign on in order to force a vote to take place on the House floor. The tactic behind making use of discharge petitions is for Republicans to not wait until they are in the majority, as Heritage Action's Executive Director Jessica Anderson told Townhall last month.
"Our ask to Congress is not to wait for the majority, but to try to push these bills now, and then if conservatives are lucky to take back the majority in the fall, that we put a menu of options that protect life," she said.
"In the face of the Left's crusade to promote abortion for all, Rep. Good continues to be a stalwart advocate for the unborn and his leadership on pro-life issues should be lauded. The unborn are our most vulnerable population and we find hope in knowing that Rep. Good will not be deterred from his mission to protect life," Anderson is quoted as saying in Rep. Good's Friday press release.
Republicans also have a discharge petition for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This bill, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has blocked numerous times over the past few years, would enforce legal protections for babies born alive from abortions.
The motivation behind legislation like the born-alive bill is to highlight Democrats' extremism. Most in the Democratic Party are so pro-abortion that their support extends even to infanticide.
In last month's interview with Rep. Good, the congressman told Townhall that he and other members will put pressure on his party in order to get all Republicans on board, "to show who is really standing up for life in the Republican Party," which he reminded "is the primary responsibility of our government," as indicated by our founding documents.