This month marked the beginning of the 40 Days for Life annual spring campaign in communities across the country and around the world. Started in Texas in 2004, this grassroots organization has grown into a global 40-day movement in defense of the unborn. Through prayer, personal encounters and peaceful vigils outside of Planned Parenthood and other abortion centers, 40 Days for Life is a powerful witness to the God-given dignity of every human being. Because of their good work, thousands of lives have been saved from the tragedy of abortion.
This spring’s campaign comes at a pivotal point for the pro-life movement here in America. Later this year the Supreme Court is set to hand down its decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Dobbs is significant because it concerns the constitutionality of a Mississippi law that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy -- a law that directly challenges the shoddy legal foundation underpinning Roe v. Wade. Depending on how the justices rule, a post-Roe America could soon be a reality.
Ever since the Supreme Court invented an extra-constitutional “right” to abortion, the end of Roe is a goal the pro-life movement has been working towards. That the United States’ extreme abortion regime could soon come crashing down is a testament to the incredible progress made by pro-life advocates and Republican leaders over the years. President Trump’s appointment of three constitutionalist, conservative Supreme Court justices is a big reason the high court agreed to hear the case in the first place.
If the Court does strike down Roe, it would be a watershed moment in our history. Abortion policy would largely revert back to the states, where voters could have a voice and extend more pro-life protections to the unborn. There is no question that the possible overturning of Roe represents the best opportunity to defend life in decades. But even if the Court does strike Roe, pro-life Americans need to be clear-eyed about the fact that it would mark the beginning of the end of abortion in America -- not the end.
There will still be battles to defend life in all stages and in every state because of just how radical Democratic politicians have become. The party that used to think abortion should be “safe, legal and rare” now believes it should be taxpayer-funded, on demand, and unlimited up to and after the moment of birth. Earlier this month almost every Senate Democrat voted for legislation that would impose those radical policies, as well as overturn nearly all state-level abortion limitations.
Perhaps no one exemplifies the Democratic Party’s leftward lurch on abortion more than Joe Biden. After supporting the Hyde Amendment his entire political career, legislation that prevents taxpayer-funded abortions, Biden has now abandoned his support. And because of radical Democrats, America is one of the few remaining countries that allows late-term abortion -- company we keep with communist countries like China and North Korea.
The good news is that Biden Democrats’ pro-abortion agenda is at odds with the vast majority of Americans. 71% of Americans support significant limits on abortion, including two-thirds who believe abortions should be off limits in the second trimester. That number goes up to 80% when Americans are asked if it should be illegal in the third trimester. An overwhelming majority of Americans also support banning infanticide. Unfortunately, Democrats have consistently blocked legislation that would end the barbaric practice.
Extremist Democrats aren’t only out of touch with Americans – including some of their own rank and file – they are out of step with the science. Thanks to advancements in science and modern medicine, we now know far more about babies in the womb than we did at the time Roe was decided. For example, it’s now clear that babies have a heart rate of about 98 beats per minute by six weeks and can feel pain as early as 15 weeks. Yet pro-abortion Democrats continue to deny the science in order to advance their extreme political agenda.
With the 2022 midterms just around the corner, Americans will soon have a chance to put a check on pro-abortion Democrats’ extreme policies. In recent weeks, Republican leaders in Arizona, West Virginia and Florida have already advanced strong pro-life legislation in their states. And as we approach November, Republicans and pro-life advocates are working to elect even more leaders who will defend the most vulnerable among us. There is no right more fundamental than the right to life. Right now the momentum of the pro-life movement is unmistakable. Republicans across America will continue to stand without apology for the sanctity of life -- and to pray and work towards a future where every child is protected under our laws.
This column first appeared here.
Notice: This column is printed with permission. Opinion pieces published by AFN.net are the sole responsibility of the article's author(s), or of the person(s) or organization(s) quoted therein, and do not necessarily represent those of the staff or management of, or advertisers who support the American Family News Network, AFN.net, our parent organization or its other affiliates.
