The Future of the Pro-Life Movement
Dr. Michael New shares his thoughts on the pro-life movement's future post-Roe.
Earlier this month, the March for Life announced its theme for the 2023 event: “Next Steps: Marching in a Post-Roe America.” As the name suggests, the March for Life will be taking on a new essence this year, given that the United States Supreme Court overturned the infamous Roe v. Wade decided in June, which permitted legal abortion in the United States for nearly fifty years.
This year, the march will be the same, except that instead of concluding at the Supreme Court, it will end at the Capitol building, symbolizing the “new front” in the battle for life, according to a March for Life blog post announcing the new theme.
Now, as the fight for life transitions to all levels of government, many changes are coming to the March for Life and the pro-life movement broadly.
The March for Life Theme
Dr. Michael New, an associate scholar at the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute, believes that the new March for Life theme is “a good one.”
“It shows that even after the reversal of Roe v. Wade[,] we still have plenty of work to do building a culture of life,” he stated.
Dr. New’s comments echo that of the pro-life movement broadly. If anything is to be achieved in protecting the dignity of all life, it starts at the grassroots level, which includes volunteering and supporting the agencies that help foster a culture of life. For example, when a woman receives news that she is pregnant, a plethora of resources must be made available to her, including counseling, diapers, and food for her to be able to raise her young child.
Not only can the work be done on the individual level, a supportive community can help women in such difficult times. Too often, the work for a pro-life culture seems too concentrated on the political level or individuals giving donations. Instead, entire communities must come together to support those who need it the most.
“While legislation is important, we need to engage in other activities to build a culture of life,” Dr. New said. “We need to strengthen our network of 3,000 pregnancy help centers that provide an impressive range of services to pregnant women. We also need to pray, sidewalk counsel, and engage in educational efforts.”
Laws to Protect the Unborn
Included in building a culture of life is the passing laws to protect the unborn. Dr. New stressed the significance of the Court overturning Roe, returning regulatory authority over abortion to the state level.
“Prior to [Dobbs v. Jackson,] we could pass laws that defunded abortion or regulated abortion in certain ways. Now we can actually pass laws that protect the preborn,” the associate scholar noted.
Dr. New also applauded the thirteen states that have enacted laws to protect the unborn since the Dobbs decision.
He pointed to Georgia, where life is protected after a fetal heartbeat is detected, and Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Utah, which have varying gestational limits in their new anti-abortion laws.
Similarly, there is a lot of back and forth in the pro-life and conservative movements about where the battle to end abortion will take place – at the state or national level. The topic of a national abortion ban has generated much attention, particularly after Senator Lindsey Graham announced support for a federal fifteen-week abortion ban.
Dr. New expressed confidence that while Republicans are weary now of a national abortion ban, they will ultimately come around to support one, especially considering the bans on partial-birth abortions of the 1990s and early 2000s. To him, while laws against abortion must be enacted and enforced, pro-life lawmakers must also play defense to protect the Hyde Amendment, anti-abortion laws in Democrat states, and prevent the sale of chemical abortion drugs. This all depends, however, on the success of Republicans in the 2022 and 2024 elections.
The associate scholar also highlighted the success of pro-life efforts, noting that the U.S. abortion rate fell by more than 50 percent between 1980 and 2020. He stated that this was because a higher percentage of unintended pregnancies were being carried to term.
“This nicely demonstrates the effectiveness of pro-life legislative, service, and educational activities,” Dr. New said. “This also serves as a good lesson for blue states that may not be able to do all that much legislatively. We can still get abortion numbers down and protect preborn children without big changes in public policy.”
Hopes and Fears Going Forward
Dr. New is hopeful about all the pro-life efforts, particularly the thirteen states that have chosen to protect life. He stated that he has always considered himself an optimist, saying, “even before Roe was overturned, I reminded pro-life audiences that we succeeded in cutting the abortion rate by more than 50 percent.”
“So even though it took 49 years to overturn Roe v. Wade – pro-lifers found other ways to make progress.”
Although, Dr. New continues to be fearful of the Democrat Party and their aggressive support of abortion, biased media coverage, and state programs that support elective abortion. Similarly, he hopes Republicans do not lose their grit in attempting to protect life.
As the battle for life continues on a national level and tensions flare across the country, it will be ever more important to heed Dr. New’s advice.
It starts at the personal level by supporting a culture of life. The pro-life movement is a national one, and with abortion remaining legal in many parts of the country, all need to be involved. Whether through politics, protesting, calling one’s representatives, or engaging in constructive dialogue about abortion, pro-life efforts must continue.
Dr. New’s message is simple: stay focused and continue the job that we are doing.
“[Pro-life] supporters need to stay focused. The laws that we have passed are already saving thousands of lives.”