Important legislation was introduced earlier this year to protect all preborn human life from the moment of creation, and it deserves the attention of every American who believes all human life has value.
Senator Mike Rounds (SD) introduced the Life at Conception Act (S. 3667) in the United States Senate earlier this year. Companion legislation, H.R. 722, was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Congressman Eric Burlison (MO).
The Act would clarify by statute that the right to life is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to every human being at all stages of life, beginning at the moment of conception and continuing until natural death.
The legislation was cosponsored by Focus on the Family friend Senator Jim Banks as well as Senators James Lankford, John Kennedy, Roger Wicker, Tommy Tuberville, Kevin Cramer, Bill Hagerty, Mike Crapo, John Hoeven, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, John Boozman, and others.
Many pro-life organizations support the measure, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Students for Life, Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America.
Since Roe’s reversal in 2022, the pro-life movement has continued to advance the cause of life state-by-state and at the federal level.
This federal bill seeks to establish the principle that many Americans already believe and science affirms — that human life begins at conception, and every human being deserves equal protection under the law.
The measure is based on the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which declares that no state shall “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
This bill would establish federal law that preborn children are human beings deserving of constitutional protection.
Supporters of the bill contend that preborn babies are human beings and should be recognized as persons entitled to the same legal protections as every other human being.
Modern science confirms that a new and genetically distinct human organism is created at fertilization. From that moment on, the developing human grows through many stages, but the humanity of the preborn baby does not change. The only thing added is time and nutrition.
Pro-life advocates contend that this scientific reality carries significant legal and moral implications.
If human beings possess inherent dignity and worth, then the law should not exclude an entire class of human beings just because they are more dependent than other human beings.
This bill reflects an ongoing conversation within the pro-life movement following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe in 2022. The decision to overturn Roe did not answer whether preborn children are “persons” under the 14th Amendment. This legislation would answer that question directly — with a resounding yes.
To date, both measures have been referred to committees but have not advanced any further in the legislative process.
If you believe every human life deserves legal protection from its earliest creation, consider contacting your senators and representatives today and ask them to support the Life at Conception Act.
Daily Citizen is a news division of Focus on the Family that provides a faith-based perspective to counter the mainstream media’s anti-Christian bias.
