On Friday (Jan. 18), a truly moving event occurred at the Capitol. Thousands of young people converged on Washington, D.C., in a respectful, prayerful march to serve as the voice for the voiceless at the 46th-annual March for Life, a national protest of the U.S. Supreme Court’s notorious Roe v. Wade decision. These young pro-life advocates are an inspiration to the nation, shining a light on the love and hope our country is built upon.

Nearly 2,000 Louisiana students visited D.C. for this momentous event. The enthusiasm and dedication shown by these young leaders speaks volumes for the future of our state and country. It is this powerful activism that has led Louisiana to become the prominent pro-life state, always fighting for the rights of the unborn.

This fight begins with President Donald Trump’s leadership. When President Trump took office in January 2017, I was encouraged that our nation would be led by an executive guided by his commitment to protecting life. Under his leadership, America is restoring the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people, including the unborn.

The strength of President Trump’s commitment to life has been clear since his first week in office, when he banned the use of Americans’ tax dollars to promote abortions in foreign countries, known as The Mexico City Policy, signaling a significant step to protect life. Unfortunately, in her first week as speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi held a vote on legislation to prop up the abortion industry by passing taxpayer funding of abortion through her Democrat-led House. Fortunately, that bill is dead on arrival in the Senate.

Though we face this new obstacle in our work to protect life in the House of Representatives, my dedication to this cause remains firm. As your representative in Congress, I have always fought to defend the sanctity of life. As the Republican Whip, I have worked to pass historic legislation protecting the unborn. We will not yield any ground as we defend the gains we have made in defense of life.

Last Congress, we made great strides to promote life. Confirming President Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were the most significant actions taken by Congress. It will take the combined action of pro-life members of Congress, as well as federal judges who share that belief in protecting innocent life at all stages, to once again ensure that life is respected.

In our legislative role, Congress made strong advancements toward passing laws that protect the unborn. Under my leadership as Republican Whip, the House successfully voted to defund Planned Parenthood and passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to prevent abortions after 20 weeks — around the fifth month of pregnancy — the time at which unborn children can feel pain.

Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act, so this month I joined my colleagues in reintroducing this powerful legislation preventing abortions after 20 weeks. Signing this legislation into law would bring us closer to fully recognizing the life and rights of the unborn. Further, this month I cosponsored the Defund Planned Parenthood Act because no taxpayer should be expected to fund something that subsidizes abortions or funnels money into an inherently political organization.

Until the lives of the unborn are fully recognized, our work will continue. Through prayer, faith, and action, we will continue to create lasting change in America. Friday’s March for Life was a positive sign that our fight to protect innocent life is alive and well in our country, and especially in the hearts and minds of the next generation of Louisiana’s leaders.