At a time when Congress and the President are moving forward rapidly to support abortion rights, I want to bring to your attention an important effort underway in the House of Representatives in an effort to generate support to protect pro-life legislative riders.

In bipartisan fashion, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC) and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) have teamed up and drafted a letter to the House Leadership, the Appropriations Committee and the Rules Committee asking that all of the existing pro-life riders be retained.  So far, nearly 100 Members have signed on to this letter. 

In calling on the House to ensure that pro-life riders are included in any legislation reported out of the Appropriations Committee, the Congressman write:  “We believe that failure to include all of the current policies with regard to the right to life will mark a radical departure from a policy a majority of Americans support.”  And, the Congressman underscore the fact that many of these measures - like the pro-life Hyde Amendment in effect from 1976 - have been in place for 30 years.   “Members of both parties have expressed strong support for these measures,” the letter adds, “which reflect the moral concerns of many Americans who do not wish to see their tax dollars used for any organization that provides abortion services.”  You can read the letter here.

At the ACLJ, we have taken an in-depth look at this situation; and in a memo which you can view here, we detail the 15 pro-life riders approved by Congress last year.  We are urging that these important measures be retained as new legislation unfolds. 

In an interview with FOXNews.com, I told the reporter that this is the next major fight when it comes to the issue of abortion.

Our position is very clear:  With a pro-abortion Congress and White House in place, the conscience rights of the American taxpayer and the American health care professional are at stake.  Pro-life riders that prohibit federal funds from being used for abortions and that provide conscience protections for health care personnel must be retained in upcoming appropriations legislation.  Otherwise, the federal government runs the risk of forcing Americans to violate their consciences by making them pay for - or perform - abortions.

We will keep you posted as this letter moves forward in the House.