WASHINGTON – If you watched President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in January, you probably heard him champion efforts that would give millions of Americans the hope of extending or saving their lives by providing dying patients easier access to experimental therapies and medications.

Too many of us know or have known family and friends who, after months or even years of medical treatment, have been told “there’s nothing else we can do.” It is incredibly disheartening and frustrating to be faced with no choice at all. However, this doesn’t have to be the case.

This week, the House brought legislation to the floor, House Resolution 2368, the Right to Try Act, which would limit barriers for terminally ill patients to obtain experimental drugs, products, and medical devices that have successfully completed Phase 1 of the approval process, but await final approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

In an era of unprecedented medical innovation, American doctors and scientists are the best in the world, and they are always experimenting with new medications to treat cancer and other pervasive diseases. What once may have been a death sentence, in just a few years, could become as treatable as many common ailments. For countless Americans facing terminal conditions, now is the time to provide a possibility to those who have no other options left.

On Monday evening, the House brought this critical, noncontroversial bill to the floor. Unfortunately, it was at this moment, in which so many of those in need could have been helped, that Democrats decided to play partisan politics. This vulnerable population deserves the flexibility and the freedom to do everything within their power to save their own life. I have long been a supporter of the cause for life, and this commitment is not one that ends with the protection of unborn children. Rather, it means doing everything within our ethical boundaries to safeguard the sanctity of life – at every stage.

Life is a gift from our Creator, and we ought to defend it fully and to the greatest extent that we can. I’m disappointed that many Democrats have once again demonstrated that – to them – bureaucracy is more important than protecting vulnerable human beings.

While the Right to Try Act did not pass this week, the battle is far from over. I will continue to advocate for those who are fighting for their lives, and House Republicans will continue to work to provide them the freedom to seek treatments that could make all of the difference.