On Thursday, parents shared personal stories of losing children to fentanyl at a roundtable organized by the Republican Study Committee. The advocates urged the government to help curb the crisis impacting young people nationwide.
Ten parents and loved ones spoke about losing a family member to fentanyl during the roundtable event led by chairman Rep. Jim Banks (R) of Indiana this week.
\u201cToday, Chairman @RepJimBanks led a roundtable with members of RSC and advocates who have lost a loved one to fentanyl. Congress must act now to stop this deadly crisis! \n\n@RepPfluger @RepKatCammack @RepLisaMcClain @RepTiffany @RepChipRoy @RepMikeCarey @RepTimBurchett\u201d— RSC (@RSC) 1663284147
The advocates argued that fentanyl-related deaths should not be considered overdoses, the Daily Caller reported. The founder of Lost Voices of Fentanyl, April Babcock, stated during the meeting, “This is not an overdose. Overdose implies there’s a safe dose to take. There is no safe dose of fentanyl.”
Babcock called for top-down action from the White House. She said, “I want a COVID-like response to fentanyl. Everyone knew after three months of COVID, social distance, wear a mask, wash your hands. Where is that for fentanyl?”
According to Customs and Border Protection, the United States seized over 11,200 pounds of fentanyl in the 2021 fiscal year. In the 2022 fiscal year, authorities confiscated approximately 10,600 pounds.
The CDC reported 107,375 overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in January 2022. Of those deaths, 67% involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
The DEA recently recognized National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day on August 21. As part of the announcement, the DEA also launched an exhibit titled "The Faces of Fentanyl," which features photographs of lost loved ones.
“Drug traffickers are driving addiction, and increasing their profits, by mixing fentanyl with other illicit drugs. Tragically, many overdose victims have no idea they are ingesting deadly fentanyl until it’s too late,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
At the RSC round-table, parent Theresa Juillerat called the drug problem a “red, white, and blue crisis that needs immediate attention.”
Another parent at the meeting, Lori Ashenfelde, called for lawmakers to take action. She stated, “Fentanyl is killing our youth. Something has to be done to shut the border down.”
On Thursday, Rep. Jim Banks proposed an amendment to the Controlled Substances Act that would provide harsher penalties for drug traffickers when narcotics have the appearance of candy or are combined with beverage products. The legislation would designate the crime a felony punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison for a first offense and a maximum of 20 years for a second offense.
\u201cEvery 8.5 minutes, an American dies from fentanyl. \n\nThank you to my colleagues and constituents for joining me yesterday to discuss how Congress can address this deadly crisis. \n\n@RepPfluger @RepKatCammack @RepLisaMcClain @RepTiffany @RepChipRoy @RepMikeCarey @RepTimBurchett\u201d— Jim Banks (@Jim Banks) 1663330826
Republicans in Congress have introduced a bill to define what a woman is.
Republican Representative Debbie Lesko from Arizona sponsored a “Women’s Bill of Rights” to provide additional legal protections to women under federal law, RedState reported.
Noting that establishing a standard for identifying people on the basis of their sex is crucial to societal stability, H. Res. 1136 states: “[T]here are important reasons to distinguish between the sexes with respect to athletics, prisons, domestic violence shelters, restrooms, and other areas, particularly where biology, safety, and privacy are implicated.”
The proposed legislation states that “males and females possess unique and immutable biological difference that manifest prior to birth and increase as they age and experience puberty” and that “biological differences between the sexes can expose females to more harm than males from specific forms of violence, including sexual violence.”
It even defies current leftwing orthodoxy by declaring that only women are able to get pregnant. The bill states “biological difference between the sexes mean that only females may get pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed children.”
The bill also indicates that motherhood and fatherhood are reserved for women and men respectively. The bill states “for purposes of Federal law, the word ‘mother’ means a parent of the female sex and ‘father’ is defined as a parent of the male sex.”
Republican Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana, Mary Miller of Illinois, Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee, Claudia Tenney of New York, Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, Doug Lambron of Kansas, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Doug LaMalfa, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and Barry Moore of Alabama submitted the bill along side Lesko.
Banks, who also serves as the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, argued that this legislation is critical in order to protect the rights of women from leftist attacks.
He said, “The modern Democrat party has put the Left’s woke agenda before the rights of women. These days, Democrats refuse to even admit women exist or recognize them as unique beings, with unique abilities. While radical liberals strip away the progress and protections that generations of women fought to achieve. Republicans must fight back and acknowledge these basic biological truths. AS the father of three daughters, I’m proud to co-lead this resolution reaffirming the legal protections afforded to them under federal law.”
According to a press release from the Republican Study Committee, H. Res. 1136 is also supported by several outside women’s interest organizations such as the Independent Women’s Law Center, Concerned Women for America LAC, Women’s Liberation Front, and the Eagle Forum.
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