Family Values

As a staunch defender of the unborn, I believe that life begins at conception and every life has a soul. I also believe in traditional marriage between a man and a woman. In Congress, I have proudly stood up in defense of life and traditional marriage. As long as I am blessed to serve in Congress, I will continue to do so. My first legislative act was to introduce the Taxpayer Protection Act, a bill to require states to report any funds they received through Medicaid and spent on organizations that perform, promote, or refer for abortion services. 

I have long been concerned with Planned Parenthood, which is why twice I led the effort to require the Government Accountability Office to track how much taxpayer money organizations that promote or perform abortions receive in an effort to provide transparency. The report concluded that close to $1 billion in federal taxpayer funding were spent over the period of 2000-2008. I do not believe taxpayer dollars should be spent on these organizations. I have also introduced the Taxpayer Conscience Protection Act every year since I was first elected to Congress. This critical bill requires states to issue an annual report of federal tax dollars that go to organizations that perform abortions. Taxpayers deserve to know where their tax dollars are being spent, especially when it involves organizations involved in ending innocent life.

Like many, I am appalled by the undercover footage of Planned Parenthood Federation of America staff casually planning a day of abortions strategically performed to harvest requested organs of unborn babies. This deplorable lack of respect for life is disgusting and immoral. Regardless of ones view on protecting the unborn, we can all agree that Planned Parenthood should not be an organ factory. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, my colleagues and I will investigate and take action based on our findings. More must be done to investigate Planned Parenthood's potenially criminal behavior. I joined with 54 of my House colleagues in calling for Attorney General Lynch to appoint an independent counsel to investigate the organization. Click here to view a copy of the letter.

The current outbreak of the deadly Zika virus has rightfully caused confusion and concern for people at risk, in particular pregnant women exposed to this dangerous virus. Recently, the High Commissioner with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein issued a press release calling for repeal of laws that limit access to “sexual and reproductive health services” as a response to the Zika virus.  In the context of calls by abortion groups to overturn pro-life laws in Latin America, the Commissioner’s comments raise serious concerns. The outbreak of this deadly and devastating virus should not be a time to politicize the crisis by advancing a pro-abortion agenda. That's why I joined with 50 of my House colleagues in sending a letter to High Commissioner Zeid to express our severe disappointment and calling on him to immediately clarify his statement. While we must do all that we can to protect people from this dangerous virus, we should not abandon our protections for the unborn children the process. A copy of the letter can be found here.

A majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding for groups that promote or perform abortions. With our national debt over $19 trillion - we must apply strict scrutiny to every federal dollar allocated. Since coming to Congress, I have fought against unnecessary and excessive government spending in all areas.

Protecting Life in the Federal Spending Process
During this year's appropriations process where we determine how your federal tax dollars are spent, I joined with many of my pro-life colleagues in pushing for spending policies that protect the unborn and taxpayers morally opposed to their tax dollars being spent by organizations that promote or pefrom abortions. Below are some of the letters we sent to the appropriators to ensure pro-life policies are maintained in our spending bills.

Defund Planned Parenthood - No federal funds may be used for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. or any of its affiliates. A copy of the letter can be found here. You can also see Congress' votes on defunding Planned Parenthood here. 

Eliminate Elective Abortions in Obamacare Multi-State Health Plans - Under Obamacare, tax dollars can be used for elective abortions in the Multi-State Plan Program. There are currently 32 states, as well as the District of Columbia, that offer multi-state plans. This letter requests to block federal funding for multi-state plans to include abortion coverage. A copy of the letter can be found here.

Health Care Conscience Rights - Repeal Obamacare mandate to ensure that federal government cannot require individuals, religious charities or businesses to buy insurance coverage that violates their moral or religious beliefs. A copy of the letter can be found here. 

Human Embryo Protection - No federal funds can be used for research in which a human embryo is intentionally created or modified to include a heritable genetic modification. A copy of the letter can be found here.

No Taxpayer Funds for Abortions for Immigration Detainees - No federal funds can be used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pay for an abortion, except when the life of the mother is at risk or in the case of rape or incest. A copy of the letter can be found here. 

Olson Family Values Legislation:
H.R.489 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Taxpayer Conscience Protection Act of 2015
Sponsor:          Rep. Olson, Pete [R-TX-22] (Introduced 01/22/2015)

Family Values Bills Cosponsored by Olson:
H.R.2802 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
First Amendment Defense Act
Sponsor:          Rep. Labrador, Raul R. [R-ID-1] (Introduced 06/17/2015)

H.R.2306 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Obamacare Marriage Penalty Elimination Act
Sponsor:          Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6] (Introduced 05/13/2015)

H.R.1695 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Parental Notification and Intervention Act of 2015
Sponsor:          Rep. Gohmert, Louie [R-TX-1] (Introduced 03/26/2015)

H.R.1149 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Protection of Children Act of 2015
Sponsor:          Rep. Carter, John R. [R-TX-31] (Introduced 02/27/2015)

H.J.Res.32 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Marriage Protection Amendment
Sponsor:          Rep. Huelskamp, Tim [R-KS-1] (Introduced 02/12/2015)

H.R.824 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
State Marriage Defense Act of 2015
Sponsor:          Rep. Weber, Randy K., Sr. [R-TX-14] (Introduced 02/10/2015)

H.R.816 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Life at Conception Act
Sponsor:          Rep. Mooney, Alexander X. [R-WV-2] (Introduced 02/09/2015)

H.R.803 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act
Sponsor:          Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R-FL-27] (Introduced 02/05/2015)

H.R.463 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
PRO-LIFE Act
Sponsor:          Rep. Neugebauer, Randy [R-TX-19] (Introduced 01/22/2015)

H.R.426 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Sanctity of Human Life Act
Sponsor:          Rep. Hice, Jody B. [R-GA-10] (Introduced 01/21/2015)

H.R.281 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Every Child is a Blessing Act of 2014
Sponsor:          Rep. Palazzo, Steven M. [R-MS-4] (Introduced 01/12/2015)

H.R.217 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act
Sponsor:          Rep. Black, Diane [R-TN-6] (Introduced 01/08/2015)

H.R.36 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
Sponsor:          Rep. Franks, Trent [R-AZ-8] (Introduced 01/06/2015)