PRESS RELEASE
Washington, D.C. – Operation Rescue is pleased to announce that the recipient of its 2021 Person of the Year Malachi Award is Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain, who assisted in crafting the language for the Texas Heartbeat Act, which prohibits abortions after a heartbeat has been detected on a baby in the womb, which is usually around six weeks gestation.
The Malachi Award is given by Operation Rescue every year to recognize individuals who sacrificially work to advance the cause of protecting the pre-born.
In 2020, before the Texas Heartbeat was enacted, there were 55,175 abortions in Texas. Thanks to Rep. Cain’s work, it is estimated that the Texas Heartbeat Bill has reduced abortions in that state by 50 percent.
Rep. Cain has served as Operation Rescue’s Texas attorney and in 2016, obtained invoices that showed four Texas universities used state tax dollars to pay Planned Parenthood for fetal body parts harvested from aborted babies. These transactions allowed Planned Parenthood to profit financially at the tax payers’ expense.
In 2016, Rep. Cain was first elected to the Texas State House of Representatives for District.128, where he consistently championed pro-life legislation.
In 2021, Rep. Cain assisted in the creation of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which was enacted on September 1, 2021. In addition to barring abortions after fetal cardiac activity has been detected, that law’s enforcement mechanism is so unique, that it has survived every legal attempt to block it.
In the Texas Heartbeat Act, enforcement is left up to citizens, who are authorized to file civil complaints if they have knowledge or evidence that an abortionist illegally conducted an abortion in violation of the new law. After Texas abortionists failed to obtain an injunction, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, intervened and sought an injunction on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice.
On December 10, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Texas Heartbeat Act can remain in place while legal action brought by the Texas abortionists proceeds in the lower courts – a ruling considered a victory by pro-life supporters. The Supreme Court also dismissed the Garland suit altogether, sending a strong message that the legislation Rep. Cain helped bring about will likely survive all legal challenges.
Thanks to Rep. Cain’s leadership, the Texas Heartbeat Act can now serve as a roadmap that other states can follow to pass similar life-saving measures.
“Briscoe has been a good friend over the years, and I am pleased to recognize his courageous and creative work on behalf of babies in the womb, thousands of which owe their lives to Briscoe Cain,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “That makes him a worthy recipient of Operation Rescue’s 2021 Person of the Year Malachi Award.”
