The landscape for life has shifted in America over the past few years. While there have been lifesaving strides made for preborn children, the truth is that babies across the country remain in imminent danger of abortion.
To protect children in the womb, those of us who value life need to understand what’s happening in the battle against abortion. Here are three challenges pro-lifers currently face:
#1: States Enshrining Abortion
In November, 10 states voted on whether to protect or expand the evil of abortion in their jurisdictions. Each ballot measure sought to enshrine abortion into their state constitutions, which would make it incredibly difficult to enact new life-affirming laws at the state level.
When the results rolled in, seven states passed amendments protecting the “right” to abortion up to viability (around 24 weeks) or throughout pregnancy. These states included Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York.
An amendment banning abortion after the first trimester was approved in Nebraska, while the state’s voters rejected another proposal permitting abortion until viability.
The good news is that pro-abortion amendments in Florida and South Dakota both failed, allowing each state’s life-affirming laws to stand.
Prior to November, seven states had already voted on abortion-related policies, and the abortion movement prevailed each time. All the post-Roe v. Wade election results show that when forced to decide, voters have largely prioritized a woman’s “reproductive freedom” over children in the womb.
#2: The Abortion Pill
The use of the abortion pill has skyrocketed across the country. Moms are told that this is a quick and easy solution to their “problem” and can now be mailed drugs so they can have an abortion at home.
Reports show that there were approximately 642,700 chemical abortions in 2023, making up 63% of all abortions in the United States. This is up from 53% of abortions in 2020 and 39% in 2017. And these stats don’t account for the many that go unreported, often obtained from illicit online distributors.
The pill’s use is on a rapid rise due to the abortion industry’s push for its unfettered access. During the pandemic, the FDA agreed to remove most of the drug’s longstanding safeguards and now allows it to be prescribed online and mailed.
The interstate shipping of abortion drugs has been illegal in the United States for over 150 years due to the Comstock Act. However, this federal law is not enforced, which has caused abortion rates to remain high throughout the country, including in states with pro-life laws.
Without a medical examination or support, a prescription can be shipped directly to an expecting mom—sometimes from a foreign country. This is dangerous for moms and deadly for children.
What’s more, large U.S. pharmacy chains recently began selling the pill in several states where it’s legal. This has turned local pharmacies into abortion mills.
Unfortunately, the pill isn’t going away anytime soon. The Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that this deadly drug can remain widely available, keeping moms and preborn children at risk.
#3: Abortion Travel
While state laws banning or restricting abortion have proved to be lifesaving, that has not stopped many pregnant women from seeking an abortion in another state.
Abortion “tourism”—where moms rush across state lines for abortion—has risen since Roe’s repeal and now comprises almost 1/5 of abortions in America. Approximately 155,000 women traveled outside their home state for the atrocity in 2024.
The abortion industry and its allies have targeted vulnerable moms and made abortion travel accessible during their moment of crisis.
Big corporations have offered to pay for their employees’ abortion-related travel expenses. Grassroots abortion funds have also covered the costs, and volunteers have provided transportation and pro-bono legal support. Pro-abortion states have invested more tax-payer dollars toward abortion services, and clinics have expanded their hours to “serve” more women from out of state.
All these efforts reveal the abortion movement’s true colors.
Instead of helping a woman choose life and restoring her family to stability, their sole focus is on making it as easy as possible to kill the baby. The preborn child has no value in their economy.
That’s why it is crucial for pro-lifers to stay informed and support innovative programs that reach moms with compassion and hope. The lives of babies are on the line—and they need us now perhaps more than ever before.
