A “Declaration for Life” Introduced in the U.S. Senate

Written by David E. Smith

Earlier this week, on September 16, 2026, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) unveiled the “Declaration for Life,” calling on lawmakers and candidates to support legislation restricting abortion, specifically a federal ban on the drug mifepristone.

The four-page document, drafted by over 30 pastors and signed by more than 100 Missouri pastors and 50,000 citizens, argues that state-level restrictions are insufficient because abortion pills can be mailed across state lines, effectively turning “every mailbox in America into an abortion clinic.”

Senator Hawley emphasized that our country was founded upon the defense of human dignity and the unalienable right to life. Because of the rise of chemical abortion, he believes it is time to renew our commitment as Christians to protect the most vulnerable among us. He stated:

“This Declaration for Life, written by pastors, is calling on everyday Christians across America to stand for life and confront the scourge of chemical abortion. We want to call on lawmakers from both parties to sign the Declaration and support protecting human life in law. It’s time to take a vote on my legislation to ban the chemical abortion drug mifepristone.”

The Declaration reads,

“This year marks America’s 250th anniversary. That milestone invites us to reckon with the convictions on which the country was built. The Declaration of Independence gives us three examples of ‘unalienable’ rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Life is the first of those rights because it is the condition of the others. It is thus the most foundational of all rights.”

It is shocking to learn that upward of 60% to 70% of all abortions are now committed at home using the abortion pill (mifepristone). Addressing this urgent threat, the Declaration continues:

“The crisis of chemical abortion is the work before us today. It is our front line in the defense of life. We must adopt laws in the states that protect life, but that is not enough. So long as the abortion drug can turn every mailbox in America into an abortion clinic, state laws alone cannot protect human life. We need a national response. As such, we call on Congress to end the scourge of mail-order abortions by banning the abortion drug…”

Watch this great interview of Senator Hawley with FRC’s Tony Perkins on Washington Watch for even more background:

Click HERE to sign this Declaration for Life.

Illinois: The Abortion Meca of the Midwest

Here in Illinois, Governor Pritzker signed SB 3341 into law this year, which allows minor girls to obtain contraceptives without parental consent. Parents have a right to know if their minor daughter is taking powerful chemicals to prevent pregnancy, especially when those drugs put her health at serious risk. Keeping parents in the dark isn’t protecting girls; it is endangering them.

Furthermore, in 2019, Illinois Democrats passed SB 25, which declares that “every individual” has a fundamental right to make autonomous reproductive-health decisions, explicitly including the right to obtain an abortion. The statute does not exclude minors. To make matters worse, in 2021, Illinois Democrats repealed the state’s requirement that an adult family member receive 48 hours’ notice before a minor’s abortion, effectively eliminating the associated judicial-bypass process.

The old political lie of “safe, legal, and rare” has long since been retired. Today, so-called “reproductive health” activists are unapologetic in demanding abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy.