Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) (Getty Images)

(CNSNews.com) -- On Friday, as tens of thousands of Americans participated in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) reintroduced his legislation to ensure that unborn children are protected under law from the moment of conception -- the Life at Conception Act -- and his bill to prohibit all federal funding of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States.

"Each year, the March for Life calls on the powerful to protect life at its most helpless," said Sen. Paul, an M.D. in ophthalmology, in a statement. "What we say about the value of human life fundamentally impacts who and what we will be as a nation."

"In recognition of this," he said, "I have reintroduced the Life at Conception Act to ensure the unborn receive equal protection under the law, along with legislation to end forced taxpayer support of Planned Parenthood."

(YouTube)

"May the message heard today and the marchers’ passionate dedication inspire change to reaffirm this most basic of rights,” said the senator, whose father Ron Paul was a strong defender of life when he served in the House of Representatives.

The Life at Conception Act (S.159) does not amend the Constitution but relies on the 14th Amendment to "implement equal protection under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States for the right to life of each born and preborn person." The bill currently has 12 co-sponsors.

The legislation defines "human person" and "human being" as "each member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization or cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being"

Through the bill, under the 14th Amendment, Congress would declare "that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being."

(Getty Images)

"Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child, a prohibition on in vitro fertilization, or a prohibition on use of birth control or another means of preventing fertilization," reads the legislation.

The other bill (S.158) states, "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal funds may be made available to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, or to any of its affiliates."