Friday, September 24, was a dark day we never dreamed we would witness in the United States of America. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021 (WHPA), arguably the most radically extreme abortion law ever passed by a legislative body anywhere in the world that goes well beyond the judicial abortion rights provided by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade. (Read WHPA here.)

The bill passed in the U.S. House with a 218 – 211 vote on straight party lines with no Republican voting for it and only one Democrat, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, voting against it. The White House also gave its endorsement to WHPA which is largely viewed as a response to our own Texas Heartbeat Act.

Huge praise, however, that WHPA very likely has no chance of passage in the U.S. Senate when it comes before them for a vote because of the filibuster rule. Senate Democrats have 50 votes, but they would need 60 votes to advance WHPA.

WHPA effectively eradicates all State government restrictions on abortions. In an opinion response piece to the House ruling, The Washington Post Columnist Henry Olsen asserts, “[WHPA] goes far beyond what most of the world permits and what most Americans want.” (Read Olsen’s opinion here.)

In his response to the House ruling on WHPA, Dr. Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said of the Life issue in his last Monday’s podcast of The Briefing: “It is the central most important, most urgent moral issue facing our nation.” Dr. Mohler goes on to state that WHPA “represents one of the most radical, most pro-abortion pieces of legislation to be considered much less adopted anywhere on planet earth.” (Listen to Dr. Mohler’s podcast here.)

WHPA effectively allows abortion up until birth by doing the following:

Making abortion legal for any reason at any time prior to fetal viability which occurs at about 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy, therefore further allowing:
· Gender selection abortions when a woman wants to terminate her pregnancy solely because she is having a baby girl or a baby boy
· Abortions when a woman wants to terminate her pregnancy because her unborn baby has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome

Striking down common pro-life restrictive measures in states. Under WHPA, states would no longer be allowed to require:
· Women to wait for 24 hours to have an abortion after their initial consultation
· Doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital
· Healthcare professionals who do not want to participate in abortions to have conscience protections to protect their jobs

Legalizing abortion up to the time a baby is born if a woman’s abortion provider concludes continuation of her pregnancy would pose a risk to her life or health (which can include emotional or mental health). Note that this provision significantly DOES NOT:
· Require the “risk” to her health to be serious or substantial
· Distinguish between a woman’s mental and physical health, thereby conveniently allowing the abortion provider to deem the woman emotionally unfit to have her baby because she would be troubled or traumatized if she did not get an abortion.
· Require the abortion provider to attempt to save the viable baby’s life if the baby survives the abortion

Please join us in praying that the unconscionable agenda by those perpetrating this evil culture of death in our country that WHPA disturbingly manifests would be thwarted. Please pray also that their hearts and minds would be transformed to value and love every unborn child.

We continue to pray for judges and legislators at the federal and state level to use their positions of leadership and authority to honor the Sanctity of Life. We give thanks for and pray for God’s protection over brave leaders who stand and speak for the unborn like Representative Henry Cuellar from Texas.

Council for Life