Where were you a year ago when you heard the news that Roe v. Wade was overturned? I was getting dressed while checking the SCOTUS blog report on my iPhone watching the new cases appear. Suddenly, there it was … Dobbs v. Jackson. Nervous and fumbling around, I dropped my phone. I scanned the first page until I read the words I had labored four decades to read:
"Held: The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives."
Joy flooded over me — and then tears flowed. It was like a dream sequence; I could hardly believe it. The next day, one of my closest friends called to remind me that during college, I had told him that I would work my entire life to see Roe overturned. I emotionally lost it.
I had publicly spoken so many times about overturning Roe, but secretly, I doubted I would ever see that day come. Suddenly, the moment had arrived — but, like all moments, it was quickly succeeded by others. As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I found myself unsettled that, as a movement, we did not do more to permanently commemorate this landmark moment in history.
As we approach this historic first anniversary of the reversal of Roe, it is important we remember and honor the strong women and men who rose up to lead the pro-life movement. They worked tirelessly for five decades to bring about this monumental victory on June 24, 2022.
Who are these heroines and heroes of the pro-life movement who fought over the last half-century, and what set them apart? As I survey our list of 50 of the greatest pro-life leaders, the common denominators among all of them are passion and resilience. They all understood the primary importance of the battle in which they were engaged — and they refused to give up, even in the face of fierce opposition.
These were not perfect people, and many are controversial. Some have even experienced moral failure or faced unseemly allegations unrelated to their significant contributions to the pro-life movement. In fact, our movement's leaders, like all of us, are filled with imperfect people, fighting for a perfect cause — innocent, unborn children.
Finally, honoring this milestone achievement of these pro-life champions would be incomplete — and in fact would not even be possible — without recognizing the untold millions who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes but whose names and faces will never be known in history. They are the unknown activists. Without these sidewalk counselors, prayer warriors, coordinators, marchers, pregnancy center translators, board members, lawyers, and financial supporters, the pro-life movement simply could not exist.
John Stemberger is the architect and editor of "Legacy of Life," a limited-edition commemorative table book honoring 50 of greatest pro-life founders, builders, strategists, and innovators from the past 50 years.
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