Innocent lives are still under attack
After five decades of abortion on demand being the law of the land, the day pro-lifers hoped and worked for since 1973 came to fruition in 2022: the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs v. Jackson decision.[i]
More than 62 million children lost their lives to abortion due to the tragic Roe ruling half a century prior.
With the reversal of Roe, the federal mandate for abortion ended, and the decision of whether to allow the killing of babies returned the individual states (where it was prior to Roe). Now, once again, each state has the authority to enforce its own abortion laws without interference from the federal government.
With this decision, the pro-life strategies required in the fight to end abortion have changed. Not only that, they’ve become more challenging because of increased abortion pill distribution, which is extremely difficult to regulate. In Dobbs’ wake, the abortion industry has doubled down on its efforts to exploit vulnerable women and end innocent lives.[ii] Roe’s reversal marks the beginning of new battles to protect the innocent from the tragedy of abortion.[iii]
The main way in which the abortion industry continues to push abortion and profit from sales is the abortion pill. Abortion drugs account for 63 percent of all abortions in the United States.[iv] In 2023, the first full year after the Dobbs decision, a reported estimate of 642,700 abortions were committed via abortion pills.[v]
In addition to selling the deadly pill in states where abortion is legal, abortion businesses are illegally selling online to buyers in states where abortion is prohibited, such as Texas. Last year, one abortion pill distributor alone received approximately 17,500 abortion requests just from Texas, or 366 per week.[vi]
Additionally, abortion businesses are profiting from abortion pill stockpiling, where residents in states with strong pro-life protections preemptively order abortion pills.According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), demand for physicians to prescribe abortion drugs preemptively – for future use among women who are not yet pregnant – is increasing.[vii]
The results of this study indicate that even in states with incredible protections for children, the abortion industry distributes mail-order drugs to flout both state and federal law – and no one is being held accountable. And because there is no tracking or accountability, the concern that these deadly drugs are being ordered not only by mothers – but by abusers, traffickers, partners, and parents – is very, very real.
All of this is true despite the fact that women generally don’t prefer abortion. Human Coalition has found that 76 percent of mothers who seek an abortion say they would prefer to parent if their circumstances were different .
The tragedy is that mothers truly believe they don’t have a choice – and this is where the pro-life movement must focus on solutions. Moms need someone to walk with them through their fear and uncertainty, connect them with tangible resources, and bring them to a place where their family is stable and thriving.
To this end, over the last half a century, government programs and non-profits established a robust infrastructure to support moms in need. Today, approximately 3,000 life-affirming organizations across the nation empower women considering abortion to choose life. [viii]
Continuing the fight for life
The fight to end abortion is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires a massive cultural attitude shift, and it requires better support for moms. Neither of these is easy, but the pro-life movement is committed to both.
Our strategies will continue to champion programs that are proven to help women choose life for their children, and we will continue to walk alongside them throughout their pregnancies and beyond – with both in-person and telecare resources.
The fight to end abortion has changed, but the pro-life movement’s commitment to rescuing babies and restoring their mothers and families remains the same.
[i] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf
[ii] https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/02/two-years-after-dobbs-lobbying-spending-on-abortion-rights-neared-3-7-million-in-2023/
[iii] https://www.abortionprocedures.com/
[iv] https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2024/medication-abortions-accounted-63-all-us-abortions-2023-increase-53-2020
[v] https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2024/medication-abortions-accounted-63-all-us-abortions-2023-increase-53-2020
[vi] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2797883
[vii] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2813618
[viii] https://lozierinstitute.org/lives-saved-impact-at-us-pregnancy-help-centers/
