---
title: "Faith & Freedom Coalition statement endorsing H.R. 36 (Pain-Capable 20-week ban)"
description: "Single-organization statement from Faith & Freedom Coalition, October 3, 2017, to Public / Congress. Composite 5/12 — explicit incrementalist endorsement. “a giant step in stopping the abhorrent practice”"
type: "letter"
letter_id: "PL-2017-002"
date: "2017-10-03"
letter_type: "Single-organization statement"
lead_org: "Faith & Freedom Coalition"
recipient: "Public / Congress"
topic: "Pain-capable (20-week) legislation"
shortfall_type: "incrementalist_endorsement_explicit"
composite: 5
verification: "primary"
signature_rows: 1
primary_url: "https://www.ffcoalition.com/pain-capable-unborn-child-protection-act-passes-u-s-house-representatives/"
source_url: "https://www.abhortion.org/letters/pl-2017-002.html"
---

# Faith & Freedom Coalition statement endorsing H.R. 36 (Pain-Capable 20-week ban)

**Single-organization statement** · October 3, 2017 · Explicit incrementalist endorsement · composite 5 / 12 · Primary source

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Letter ID | PL-2017-002 (formerly L23) |
| Date | October 3, 2017 |
| Lead organization | [Faith & Freedom Coalition](../letters/orgs/o007.md) |
| Recipient | Public / Congress |
| Topic | Pain-capable (20-week) legislation |
| Type | Single-organization statement |
| Verification | Primary source |
| Signature rows | 1 |
| Completeness | Single organization |

## Key language

> “a giant step in stopping the abhorrent practice” — Faith & Freedom Coalition, October 3, 2017

## Scorecard

Composite **5 of 12** — explicit incrementalist endorsement. Each dimension is scored 0 (none), 1 (implied) or 2 (explicit); the rationale is the editor's one-line reason for every non-zero score. D2 and D4 are the fault line the abolitionist critique cares most about.

| Dimension | Score | Meaning at this score | Rationale |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| D1 Exceptions | 2 | Explicitly supports rape, incest or health exceptions | Bill contains exceptions. |
| D2 Immunity for the mother (fault line) | 0 | None | — |
| D3 Incrementalism | 2 | Explicitly endorses a regulatory or gestational bill instead of abolition | Gestational regulation. |
| D4 Opposition to abolition or equal-protection bills (fault line) | 0 | None | — |
| D5 Framing | 0 | None | — |
| D6 Secular framing | 1 | Mixed — mentions prayer or faith, or mixed religious signers | Faith-adjacent but not Gospel-grounded. |

## Spokesperson

1 signature row · **Single organization.** A single-organization record; the spokesperson row is illustrative, not a signature block.

| # | Name as printed | Title as printed | Organization as printed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Timothy R. Head](../letters/people/i0228.md) | Executive Director | [Faith & Freedom Coalition](../letters/orgs/o007.md) |

## Organizations on this letter

1 distinct organization and 1 named individual, after normalizing renamed and affiliated entities.

- [Faith & Freedom Coalition](../letters/orgs/o007.md) — Advocacy or other

## Sources

- [ffcoalition.com/pain-capable-unborn…](https://www.ffcoalition.com/pain-capable-unborn-child-protection-act-passes-u-s-house-representatives/) — Primary source (https://www.ffcoalition.com/pain-capable-unborn-child-protection-act-passes-u-s-house-representatives/)

## Editorial note

The rubric records distance from the standard published by Abolitionists Rising, not a moral verdict; every organization scored here regards itself as pro-life. Scores are judgment calls applied consistently by the published rubric.