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For Immediate Release
Contact: Ben Carnes or Kate Middleton 202.225.4576
Franks Praises Passage of PRENDA
Bill Outlaws Sex- and Race-Based Abortions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) praised today's passage of H.R. 3541, the Prenatal Non-Discrimination Act (or PRENDA) through the House Judiciary Committee today by a 20-13 vote. The legislation outlaws abortions performed on the basis of the child's sex or race. It also outlaws the coercion of any woman to obtain either a sex- or race-based abortion.
"The very bedrock foundational principle that gave birth to America was the conviction that all human beings are children of God and created equal in His sight. In 1847, Frederick Douglass said, 'Right is of no sex; truth is of no color, God is the Father of us all--and all are brethren.'
"I know when the subject is related in any way to abortion, the doors of reason and human compassion in our minds and hearts often close, and the humanity of the unborn can sometimes no longer be seen. But this is an issue upon which all Americans should be able to find agreement, regardless of our party affiliations or even our beliefs about abortion.
"Our innate sense of human fairness should make it abundantly clear that aborting a little baby because he or she happens to be black or because he or she has been arbitrarily deemed 'lesser' is fundamentally wrong, representing a betrayal of the precious truth that all men are created equal and are stamped with the Imago Dei on their souls.
"I am convinced this is the civil rights battle that will define our generation, and, by the grace of God, I look forward to this vital measure's consideration on the House floor and its ultimate passage."
A minority baby is currently five times more likely to be aborted than a white baby, and nearly half of all black babies' are aborted, with over 70 percent of abortion clinics being located in predominantly minority neighborhoods.
Congressman Franks is serving his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a member of the Judiciary Committee, where he serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and a member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law. He is also a member of the Armed Services Committee, where he serves on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee and the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
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