Remembering Sen. Lindsey Graham, Who Refused to Forget the Preborn

Bipartisan tributes celebrating the life and mourning the death of Senator Lindsey Graham are continuing to pour in as the South Carolina lawmaker is remembered as a hard-scrabble politician who fought passionately and yet managed to make and keep friends beyond his own political party.

“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” President Trump wrote early Sunday morning on Truth Social. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”

Many of the accolades over the last day have centered on Senator Graham’s principled commitment to America’s strong military defense and his unwavering support for such allies as Israel and Ukraine.

In fact, Senator Graham had just returned from Ukraine on Saturday afternoon only hours before he reportedly collapsed and died later that evening.

But what hasn’t received as much attention regarding the senator was his consistent pro-life advocacy and stellar voting record in support of pre-born life. He regularly received 100% ratings from National Right to Life, and, most recently, an A+ rating on the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) National Pro-life Scorecard. 

At the time of the designation, he declared, “America is at her best when she’s standing up for the least among us, and I will continue to fight to protect the lives of the unborn.”

And that’s exactly what he did.

It was that conviction that led SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser to grieve the South Carolinian’s passing with a heartfelt statement on Sunday morning, calling him “A man of vision and tenacity.”

She continued:

He gave wise counsel and advocacy in countless difficult moments fighting for the rights of the unborn child. He expended himself to the work he was called to do, stepping up when no one else would. On the fundamental value of the not-yet-born child to live, he said to all who would listen: ‘It’s not about geography!’ Indeed, his ability to persuade transcended geographic and political boundaries.

All those little voices never heard here in this world are singing to him now. SBA Pro-Life America joins the chorus of thanks.

I will deeply miss my friend. There will be no replacements for Lindsey Graham. Just protégés.

Over the years, Senator Graham unapologetically opposed taxpayer funding of abortion and strongly advocated for the Hyde Amendment, federal legislation that prohibits federal dollars from being used to take innocent life.

Senator Graham sponsored the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” important legislation that he repeatedly introduced. He has co-sponsored the “Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” which would require medical personnel to provide lifesaving care for babies born despite attempts to abort the child.

Following the reversal of Roe and the Dobbs decision, which returned the question of abortion’s legality to the states, Graham pushed back on the idea that pro-lifers should be satisfied with the decision.

“The pro-life movement has always been about the wellbeing of the unborn child—not geography,” he posited. Senator Graham correctly recognized that every pre-born baby, regardless of which state their mother lives in, is deserving of full protection. 

“I do not believe completely abandoning the unborn under the guise of states’ rights serves the conservative cause or makes us a better nation.”

As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Graham is being remembered for his fiery defense of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. During the 2018 hearings, which saw Justice Kavanaugh accused of vague and unverified charges of sexual abuse, Senator Graham called the process “an unethical sham” and roared, “This is the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics.”

In defending the future Justice Kavanaugh, Graham was also helping secure a future vote to overturn Roe.

During his four terms as a member of the House of Representatives and his four terms in the United States Senate, Graham consistently championed legislation that protected religious liberty and voted for judicial nominees who pledged to support those principles.

A Southern Baptist, the senator made one of his final public appearances in the U.S. at a July 4th celebration at the “Carolina Celebration of Liberty” and at First Baptist Church of Columbia, S.C.

“I love coming here,” he said. “This is like the highlight of the year for me to come to this service with my family to remind me what our country is about through Baptists who can sing and dance. And to those who say Baptists cannot sing and dance, come here; you will be proven wrong.”

We join those grieving the death of Senator Lindsey Graham and thank the Lord for his unblemished pro-life convictions.