In an interview with Christianity Today contributing editor Dr. Ed Stetzer, Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) made a wide variety of observations on the abortion debate, recent legislative battles, and the future of the pro-life movement.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlvFhuBh2Fo&w=560&h=315]
Black, one of the House of Representatives’ most outspoken pro-lifers and author of a year-long moratorium on Planned Parenthood’s federal funding, reiterated that her background as a nurse was a significant factor in solidifying her pro-life position. She noted that she graduated nursing school just two years before the Supreme Court handed down Roe v. Wade in 1973, and as a result, “I have watched throughout my career the devastating things that have happened to women and the babies as a result of Roe vs. Wade,” including witnessing women suffering from severe emotional fallout after abortions.
She went on to denounce the abortion industry for “convinc[ing] women that this is just a blob of tissue, it’s not a life,” and declared that the key to ending abortion will be both convincing people otherwise and educating them on the “kind of tragedy and sadness that happens at the taking of a life.” On this point, Black expressed optimism at “seeing the young people have more value for life.”
Black also lamented Congress’s recent failure to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would have banned abortion at twenty weeks of pregnancy. She blamed “antiquated” filibuster rules that led to the bill dying in the Senate despite winning a majority of the votes, an issue Live Action covered at the time. “Change this and let’s get some things done,” she said.
