{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-joins-vice-president-pence-at-white-house-event-to-highlight-progress-in-protecting-lives-of-the-unborn", "Lankford Joins Vice President Pence at White House Event to Highlight Progress in Protecting Lives of the Unborn", "2020-12-16", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "OK", "James Lankford", "L000575", "www.lankford.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.16.20\n\t\t\t Lankford Joins Vice President Pence at White House Event to Highlight Progress in Protecting Lives of the Unborn \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, DC  Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today joined Vice President Mike Pence to acknowledge and celebrate pro-life progress in our nation during the Trump Administration at the Life is Winning event. Today's event included remarks by several federal agency leaders involved in President Trump's pro-life initiatives, including Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar. Earlier this year, Lankford joined President Trump on stage at the March for Life, marking the first time a US President has attended the pro-life rally.\r\nI am grateful President Trump and Vice President Pence have worked so closely with me and other pro-life legislators to implement numerous pro-life policies, press for legislative solutions to protect life and conscience like the actions announced today, and help ensure women have access to the important health care they need, said Lankford. I believe all peoplefrom fertilization to natural deathhave value and worth. We still have much work ahead of us to fully protect and honor the lives of unborn children in our nation, but we have taken numerous positive steps toward that important goal in the last few years. I appreciate the opportunity to come together to acknowledge our progress and our ongoing commitment to life at all stages.\r\nHealth and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced at the White House today that the HHS Office of Civil Rights will take action in Vermont and California concerning the enforcement of federal conscience protections for Americans. Lankford's Conscience Protection Act would codify these in law for all Americans. Lankford raised the issue of conscience protections at a Senate hearing earlier this year.\r\nIn September, Lankford applauded President Trump's Executive Order Protecting Vulnerable Newborn and Infant Children, which took an extraordinary step to protect newborns, pre-mature babies, and infant lives. Lankford recentlyintroduced the Women's Public Health and Safety Act, which gives states the authority to exclude abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds.\r\nDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, Lankfordalso joined more than two dozen senatorsto call on the Department of Treasury to investigate Planned Parenthood's abuse of the taxpayer-funded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and separately called on the Department of Justice to expand its ongoing investigation of Planned Parenthood in the wake of new evidence of criminal activity. Lankfordalsorecently joined a bicameral letterto Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to call for new regulations to end tax breaks for abortion under the guise of health care, as well asa letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)to urge it to remove the abortion pill from the USmarket.\r\nTo prevent US funding for abortionabroad, Lankford recentlyled a bicameral lettertothe Acting Administrator for the US Agency for International Development John Barsa to urge him to protect American taxpayer dollars during the pandemic from funding pro-abortion lobbying or advocacy efforts in other countries via the United Nations. This practice is in violation of the Siljander Amendment, which prevents State Department funds from being used to lobby for abortion.\r\nDuring the 115th and 116th Congresses, which span the Trump Administration, Lankford cosponsored theBorn-Alive Abortion Survivors Protect Act. He also spoke on infanticideandtheBorn-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Acton the Senate floor.Lankford introduced theDismemberment Abortion Ban Act.He supported pro-life conservative priorities including theNo Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act,theProtect Funding for Women's Health Care Act, theDown Syndrome Discrimination by Abortion Prohibition Act,andthePain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,\r\nLankford is Chair of the Senate Values Action Team and member of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, which advocates for issues including life and conscience protections. Hereceived an A rating from the Susan B. Anthony Listfor his pro-life voting record.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-joins-vice-president-pence-at-white-house-event-to-highlight-progress-in-protecting-lives-of-the-unborn"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4657790306955576, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}