Tomorrow will mark the first March for Life since Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer by the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, making this the most important March for Life in nearly five decades.
This week, those of us who believe in the sanctity of life for all persons, born and unborn, have a chance to show America that this fight is far from finished. We should all applaud the reversal of Roe; the Dobbs ruling, written by Justice Alito, was deeply grounded in America’s system of federalism and affirmed our constitutional order. But we should also remember a crucial fact: this ruling did not outlaw abortion. Rather, it returned the right to vote on abortion to the states. This crucial judgment – of whether dignity inheres in all life, born or unborn – should no longer be settled in courts. Instead, it will be argued and voted upon in state legislatures, where the hearts and minds of the American people are expressed in the laws that govern each state in our Union.
Broadly, current laws reflect that our nation is divided on this issue. Abortion remains widely accessible in much of America. In 20 states, there are few legal restrictions on abortion, if there are any at all. Only 12 states have passed total bans. This divide reveals a tough reality, one those of us who are pro-life need to recognize: If we who believe in the inviolability of the unborn are unable to convince our fellow Americans of this essential truth, the reversal of Roe will mean little in the long run. This is not the time to rest on our laurels; it is the time to advance and triumph.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, for the Biden Administration has proved itself to be the most anti-life Administration in history. Shortly after the Dobbs decision was released, President Biden issued an Executive order that directed Medicaid funds to be used for women seeking an out-of-state abortion. He rescinded the Mexico City Policy, which ensured the taxpayer dollars of Americans did not fund abortions overseas. And progressive lawmakers in the House and Senate have tried multiple times in the past two years to enshrine the right to an abortion in federal law.
Earlier this month, the Biden Administration formalized a process to allow retail pharmacies to sell abortion pills. Under its new rules, someone seeking an abortion can have a telemedicine chat with an abortion-pill prescriber, then fill the prescription at a local pharmacy – even if that means having the pills mailed to them. This means that you can obtain the means to an abortion without so much as being seen in person by a healthcare provider, let alone having an ultrasound taken. These pills introduce real short and long-term risk to young women, but the Biden Administration has ignored these dangers in its haste to make abortive medication widely available.
We cannot simply view these developments as a trend unique to the current Administration. At their core, these policies all rest on the premise that the life of the unborn is not worth protecting. This is the lie being told to younger generations, and it’s working: Nearly half of Americans aged 18-34 support the right to abortion under any circumstances. These are the hearts and minds we have to change.
To do this, we must offer a different vision, one in which civil society and our state policy work together to promote the family, care for women who are in crisis, and ensure every child has a stable home. That means reforming our broken foster care system, funding and supporting the nearly 2,700 pro-life Pregnancy Resource Centers across America, and making the adoption process safer and easier. And we need to put the cause for life front and center by participating in events like the March for Life, which show that there are an incredible number of young people who have not been taken in by the lies the radical Left spreads about abortion.
I have been fighting for life my entire political career – and that will never change going forward. I believe, without a doubt, that life begins at conception and is sacred. As the Psalms say: “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” As we March for Life this week and fight for the unborn into the future, it is this essential conviction that we must carry with us.
Our nation’s soul has always rested on faith, family, fellowship, and children. Let’s reaffirm that truth together this week!
