Our most fundamental right

By U.S. Rep. Tom Cole
R-Oklahoma

When our forefathers founded our great nation, they penned that individuals are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence. Included in these unalienable rights is our most fundamental right: the right to life. 

This paramount right asserts that every person, from the moment of conception till death, has the right to live. 

However, the right to life is more than just something written in our nation’s founding document. It is a moral principle that acknowledges the beauty and value of all human life – an idea that the pro-life movement centers itself around. 

Since entering Congress as the Representative for Oklahomans in the Fourth District, protecting this sacred right has been one of my top priorities. I have consistently voted in support of protecting our nation’s most vulnerable, am a member of the Pro-Life caucus, have co-sponsored several pro-life bills, and have an A+ rating on the Susan B. Anthony National Pro-Life Scorecard. 

I am a staunch supporter of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal taxpayer-funded abortions – a provision that is estimated to have saved more than two million lives, while at the same time protects the conscience rights of many Americans who oppose public funding for abortions, whether that be for religious, moral, or fiscal reasons. In fact, as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, I will always fight to ensure that the Hyde Amendment, as well as other traditionally funded pro-life provisions, is included in my committee’s funding legislation year after year.

As I continue to represent the Fourth District, I remain committed to being a voice for the most vulnerable. I will speak to anyone who will listen about how from the moment a baby is conceived, that life is a reality, not a potential. I will use my vote and position on the Appropriations Committee to protect life. At the end of the day, I will always stand for the right to life.