Derrick Van Orden column: My stance on abortion

By Rep. Derrick Van Orden
Posted 5/8/23

There are many social issues that are gripping America currently.

I contend that with the Dobbs decision the most divisive by far is the debate about the access to abortions and restrictions, if …

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Derrick Van Orden column: My stance on abortion

Posted

There are many social issues that are gripping America currently.

I contend that with the Dobbs decision the most divisive by far is the debate about the access to abortions and restrictions, if any, that should apply. The reason this is so contentious is that the left is simply not telling the truth about their beliefs. They hide behind artful language or pivot from the question without answering it. They misrepresent the position of the vast majority of Americans who do not share their radical stance, supporting abortion up to birth for any reason without exception.

Unfortunately, Republicans and others who call for restrictions on abortion allow the left to define our position by staying silent, trying to avoid being ostracized, shouted down, or for the most pathetic reason of all--being afraid of not being elected or reelected.

The time for the silent majority is over. It is time to speak our minds and make our voices heard or we will continue to be subject to the tyranny of the loudest.

The fact that the Democratic Party has been hijacked by the radical left cannot be more clearly demonstrated than by their stance on abortion. They claim mainstream Americans, including Democrats, support taxpayer funded abortion up to the time of birth with zero exceptions. There can be no more radical position on abortion than this. This is infanticide and claiming most Americans support this cannot be farther from the truth.

The truth is that the majority of Americans, including my constituents here in Wisconsin, agree that there must be restrictions on abortion. I am one of these Americans.

As Americans that do not want unrestricted abortion up to birth without exception we have to be truthful with ourselves. Since the Roe v. Wade decision, over 63,000,000 abortions have taken place in the United States. If Roe included the restrictions that the majority of Americans agree with, tens of millions of those would not have been performed. That is not a rounding error, these are not poker chips we are discussing. This is one third of an entire generation of innocent human children. Even if we were only able to save one child, all our work would be worth it.

More importantly, we as legislators have to acknowledge that the only unborn children that have been saved from the time Roe was decided until Dobbs, were saved by our prayer warriors appealing to God on their knees at home, in front of abortion clinics, and by working at pregnancy crisis centers giving mothers an alternative to abortion. Collectively, politicians have accomplished nothing legislatively in the same timeframe that saved a single human child. Nothing. This is a factual statement.

I am exceptionally concerned that with the flipping of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the left leaning court will legislate from the bench and remove all restrictions on abortion, putting our state’s abortion law on par with communist China and North Korea.

Recently, Wisconsin Republicans introduced Assembly Bill 175 that allows for abortion in the case of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. I am calling on them to pass this bill immediately in order to save the lives of as many unborn children as possible.

This is an incredibly difficult moral conundrum for me personally. There is no equitable solution for this. I am deeply troubled to make this recommendation, but my decision is based on trying to reach the best case outcome in the worst case scenario.

In a perfect world, no woman would ever be in the position where she would feel like she should abort her unborn child. However, I also understand and accept that we live in a fallen world.

For those who say my position has changed, they are wrong. I am pro-life, stand with life, and I will not allow anyone on either side of this argument to put words in my mouth or define my beliefs.

I will do what I can to preserve every single innocent life because I believe that every child is a child of God, and every one of these lives we can save is a gift to humanity.

Derrick Van Orden, a Republican, is an American politician, businessman, actor, and retired Univted States Navy Seal. He is the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district. 

 

abortion, Derrick Van Orden, politics, Wisconsin