Protecting Life One Step at a Time

It’s been a political reality for the last few years in Washington, D.C. that pro-life victories are hard to come by. Those of us who advocate for the pre-born have been largely on defense as a radically pro-abortion White House, U.S. Senate and (for two years) U.S. House have pushed to roll back even the most basic of protections for Life.

That makes this week’s enactment of the Weldon Amendment all the more exciting. The Weldon Amendment, which has been in force (renewed annually through the appropriations process) since 2004, prohibits the U.S. Patent and Trade Office from issuing patents for human organisms. One of the most important practical effects of this language is that the Patent Office is not able to patent cloned human embryos or human embryos intended for research purposes.

It might seem obvious that human organisms should never be “property” or “for sale,” but until this week, it was a legislative fight that we had to undertake each and every year. Now, thanks to former Rep. Dave Weldon (FL) – who was the original author of the Amendment, as well as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (TX), the Weldon Amendment is part of permanent federal statute. It was included in a broader bill regarding patents, was passed by both the House and Senate, and was signed into law by President Obama.

This victory is a great reminder to all of us about why we continue to fight even the uphill battles here in Washington, D.C. It marks the culmination of an eight-year effort, and is achieved at an unlikely time. It’s why we often tell you that these efforts are about changing hearts and minds, and about seeing the fight through to the end.

So chalk one up for Life! There are numerous battles for the pre-born that remain ahead, but for this week, we are grateful for a significant step in the correct direction.