House Republicans Seek to Designate June a ‘Month of Life’ in Celebration of Supreme Court Ruling

Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va) speaks during a House Select Committee on Climate Crisis hearing in Washington on June 14, 2022. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) has led 46 other House Republicans in introducing a congressional resolution aiming to declare June as the “Month of Life,” in commemoration of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

“As a mother and grandmother, I know the joy that children bring to a family,” Miller said in a July 1 statement from her office. “All children, no matter their age, should be cherished, and the Supreme Court’s decision reaffirms that.

She added: “I am thrilled to stand alongside my colleagues to celebrate this historic moment and designate June as the ‘Month of Life.’ I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution immediately to honor the unborn and stand up for life.”

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24 following a 6–3 vote. Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the court’s majority opinion, said that “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” and, “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

After Roe was returned, judges in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Utah blocked abortion restrictions or bans from being enforced. Meanwhile, several states with abortion trigger laws are being challenged, including Idaho and Oklahoma. According to the Guttmacher Institute, as many as 26 states could eventually ban abortions.

House Resolution 1216 states that the “right to life” is one of the founding principles of the United States and the U.S. Constitution “does not include a right to abortion.” It adds that the rights of states are included in the Constitution and “should be respected and supported.”

What’s more, the resolution emphasizes how “scientific and medical technology has demonstrated repeatedly the humanity of the unborn child.”

The resolution also calls out states to “provide necessary resources to help women and families with unplanned pregnancies to find life-affirming alternatives to abortion.”

If passed, the resolution would commit House lawmakers to “recognize the importance of reaffirming the dignity of human life” and “support life both inside the womb and outside the womb as well as the pregnant mother,” among other things.

According to Miller’s statement, the resolution is supported by Americans United for Life, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, March for Life, Family Research Council, Heritage Action, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

Among the co-signers of the resolution are House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Reps. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), and Kat Cammack (R-Fla.).

Days earlier, a group of Republican senators led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced a resolution celebrating the pro-life movement’s “historic victory” after the Supreme Court ruling on abortion.

“The Supreme Court decision is a victory for the pro-life movement and the volunteers who have supported mothers and children for the past 50 years,” Blackburn said, according to a statement from her office.

“Pro-life supporters come together from different states, religions, professions, and backgrounds in order to fight for the lives of the unborn, and I look forward to empowering the work of these volunteers as they continue to fearlessly defend the right to life,” she added.

The bill commemorates those who have “stood up for life over the last nearly 50 years” and “condemns all threats and incidents of violence fueled by the decision.”

Co-sponsors of the Senate resolution include Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).