Even if Roe overturned, more life challenges loom

This spring or summer, the Supreme Court is poised to decide whether Mississippi’s 15-week abortion limit, and pre-viability limits on abortion generally, are constitutional. In the Dobbs late abortion case, any way of answering “yes” undercuts Roe v. Wade, which imposed abortion on-demand up to birth nationwide.

Decades of pro-life political and legal strategy brought us to this moment. The end of abortion in America is no longer theoretical, and we must be prepared.

It’s a shame the current Administration wasn’t paying attention during oral arguments in December. “I didn’t see any of the debate today…” the President stated. “I support Roe v. Wade. I think it’s a rational position to take.”

If he’d listened, he might have heard how reason supports our Catholic faith. Science reveals in detail how each of us is fearfully and wonderfully knit together in our mother’s womb. In 1973, sonogram images consisted of grainy black-and-white dots. Today, we can watch in 4-D as unborn babies suck their thumbs, make faces, and even cry. We know that by 15 weeks, their hearts have beat nearly 16 million times, their fingers and toes have formed, and they feel pain. Any shadow of doubt about their humanity is untenable. It’s time our laws caught up.

He also could have heard Chief Justice Roberts point out (correctly) that, under Roe, the United States shares its abortion policy with just a handful of nations, like China and North Korea. A comprehensive analysis by Charlotte Lozier Institute found that 47 out of 50 progressive European nations limit elective abortion prior to 15 weeks; eight of them, including Great Britain, don’t allow elective abortion at all.

Average Americans hold similar views. Seventy-six percent favor significant limits on abortion that Roe doesn’t allow. Almost two-thirds of Americans would modify or completely overturn Roe, when they understand it allows painful late-term abortions, and most would welcome a 15-week limit. No wonder state lawmakers enacted more than 100 new pro-life laws in 2021, a record.

The Biden administration responded to this momentum by opening the floodgates to dangerous mail-order abortion pills. Research shows chemical abortions are four times riskier for women than surgical abortion, with complications like severe pain and bleeding, infection, even death. A landmark study found that the rate of emergency room visits related to chemical abortion has skyrocketed 500 percent since 2002. This reckless move crosses a new frontier. Thankfully, seven states enacted proactive safeguards in 2021, with more likely to follow.

Dobbs ensures the life issue will be front and center in elections this year. Pro-life candidates have a strong advantage when they stay on offense, exposing their pro-abortion opponents’ extreme policy positions. Susan B. Anthony List’s team is in the field once more, going door to door to educate persuadable voters about what’s at stake.

After Roe, the people of each state – not unelected judges – will determine abortion policy. Catholics, always among the vanguard of the fight for human rights and dignity, will play a vital role.

The pro-life movement must redouble its efforts to serve women, children, and families and strengthen the pro-life safety net. State initiatives like Texas’ $100-million-per-year Alternatives to Abortion program complement America’s 2,700 pregnancy centers, proving we can “love them both.”
Consensus will differ by state, and the debate will sometimes be messy – but by holding it in the public square, we can shape the culture and pass ambitious laws that save countless lives.

Victory is not inevitable, but with God nothing is impossible. Throughout 2022 and beyond, please join me and millions of Americans in praying without ceasing for life to be restored.

MARJORIE DANNENFELSER is president of the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List. SBA List is a network of 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.