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5 things pro-lifers have learned in the two years since Dobbs
June 19, 2024
15 Reactions
Nearly two years ago, Roe v Wade was overturned when the Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health case. As a result of this decision, abortion was no longer a national “right”; each state can now make its own laws regarding abortion.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, as of May 1, 2024:
- 14 states have a total abortion ban
- 27 states have abortion bans based on gestational duration
- 7 states ban abortion at or before 18 weeks’ gestation
- 20 states ban abortion at some point after 18 weeks
- 9 states and the District of Columbia do not restrict abortion based on gestational duration
Abortion remains a tragedy of epic proportions. In the ensuing two years, we have seen anger, resentment, fear, and outright lies. Every day, babies are dying.
The past two years have taught us a lot, but they have also given us direction for the way forward. Below are some of the things we in the pro-life movement have learned since Dobbs.
1. The pro-abortion movement will not stop
Organizations like Planned Parenthood have become creative as they encourage interstate travel so a woman can kill her child in a state with more “favourable” abortion laws. Amazon, Apple, and other companies will reimburse part of the cost for women to travel to kill their children. Slogans like “bans off our bodies” taint the minds of young people as they purposely try to anger them about laws that attempt to protect innocent babies. The list goes on and on. Those who want abortion enshrined in law will do anything in their power to keep abortion legal.
2. Many people think that abortion has ended
Those who don’t read pro-life news or understand the implications of Dobbs think that abortion ended when Roe was overturned. They think there’s no reason to fight for the rights of babies anymore or to support pro-life organizations. They falsely claim that pro-lifers “won.” But the graves of thousands of dead babies tell us the truth. Abortion is far from over.
3. Many think that a little abortion is OK
Many states have laws that protect babies after a certain point in their lives or only in certain circumstances (after rape, to save the life of the mother, etc.). But, as Judie Brown, president of American Life League (ALL), explains, “A person is a person from [creation] onwards, and abortion must be illegal in all circumstances, with no exceptions.” That is why ALL has a no exceptions, no compromise policy. Abortion is wrong in all circumstances, not just in some. Every preborn child deserves a chance to be born.
4. The abortion pill has become a significant threat
The abortion pill regimen consists of mifepristone and misoprostol. The mother first takes the mifepristone, which starves the baby to death. And then about 48 hours later she will take the misoprostol, which expels the dead baby. The Guttmacher Institute’s latest numbers show that these pill abortions accounted for 63 percent of abortions in 2023. That equates to about 642,700 dead babies. With laws that have become increasingly lax, the mother can now take both pills at home, which poses significant dangers to the mom and of course is deadly for the baby.
5. Education is vital
The pro-abortion movement is not going to give up, so we cannot either. It is incumbent upon us all to teach the people around us the truth—not only about the humanity of the preborn baby from the first moment of existence (when the sperm fertilizes the egg), but about the lies that the pro-abortion movement tries to propagate. That means that we teach our children from the time they are small that all babies are valuable and deserve a chance to live.
Lessons from programs like the Culture of Life Studies Program allow parents and teachers to talk about pro-life topics in an age-appropriate way—at home or at school. We must also educate our friends, family, coworkers, and people within our communities. That means we give voice to the preborn baby, never denying his humanity and existence. It takes moral courage, it takes persistence, and it takes speaking in love for both the mom and the baby.
The two years since the Dobbs decision have proven that there are very vocal people who will not rest until abortion is the law of the land. While we must never allow this sad state of our society to discourage our efforts, we can think of this as an opportunity to do God’s work here on earth. We must be His hands and feet as we speak, educate, and fight to protect the most vulnerable among us. The babies deserve nothing less.
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Susan Ciancio is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has worked as a writer and editor for over 20 years; 14 of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently, she is the editor of American Life League’s Celebrate Life Magazine—the nation’s premier Catholic pro-life magazine. She is also the executive editor of ALL’s Culture of Life Studies Program—a pre-K-12 Catholic pro-life education organization.
Image credit: Bigstock
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David Page commented 2024-06-23 09:33:11 +1000Let me ask again; is a fertilized egg the same as a sentient human being? -
mrscracker commented 2024-06-23 06:19:08 +1000Yes, Anon Emouse I think it’s an important goal for us to find common ground on human rights issues and we’re more likely to accomplish that if we temper our language.
Everyone can fall short on that sometimes so it’s a good topic and conversation to have. -
Anon Emouse commented 2024-06-23 00:02:02 +1000Mrs, Cracker,
You see the double standard though, right? That referring to one side as “pro abortion” because of extremists, as Mr.Cook just did is “ok”. But referring to the pro life side as “pro murder” because of extremists is “wrong”
We should be above this toxic discourse as it does nothing to solve the problem. -
mrscracker commented 2024-06-22 01:33:23 +1000Anon Emouse ,
Human rights causes can have passionate advocates on all sides of the issues & sometimes that passion can drive unbalanced folk right over the edge. John Brown was one example of that, but it didn’t make all abolitionists pro-murder. Or all suffragettes suicidal. -
Anon Emouse commented 2024-06-22 00:48:07 +1000Mr. Cook,
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-marine-sentenced-molotov-cocktail-attack-against-planned-parenthood-clinic-orange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_George_Tiller
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1169315/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/29/us/30abortion-clinic-violence.html
Guess I’ll refer to your side as pro-murder, then, since we’re dealing with extremists to prove our points and the willingness to kill means you’re not “pro-life”. -
David Page commented 2024-06-21 10:49:19 +1000There is no point in this dueling of the extremes. Most people don’t want abortion under any circumstance. And most people don’t want an absolute ban on all abortions. Both positions are absurd (a fetus without a brain must be carried to term?). And the pro life side is all in on banning contraception (except for the Rythm method. Could someone point out to me the moral difference?). And of course there are the extremists on the abortion side, as Mr Cook points out. But the great weight of public opinion is in the middle. But the proof of the pudding is in the voting. If an extreme anti abortion position costs the Republicans too many seats you will see a sudden (heartfelt?) change of opinion. I have long wanted the reversal of Roe, and for two reasons. The first is it was based on a misapplication of the right to privacy. But the other reason is that it is the political equivalence of the dog catching the car. Oops! We will know in 5 months. Don’t expect much from your new allies. They are already beginning to walk it back.
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David Page commented 2024-06-21 10:09:55 +1000I remember, back at the beginning of this argument, the example of the burning fertility clinic. In that situation would you save a bunch of fertilized eggs, or a toddler. You can only save one. The common response on the “pro life” side was to obfuscate. But the question is legitimate. Which would you save? I would save the toddler without hesitation or question. What would you do? Michael Cook, what would you do?
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Michael Cook commented 2024-06-21 08:04:27 +1000“No one is ‘pro-abortion’”. That’s an odd statement.
https://shoutyourabortion.com
“Shout Your Abortion is normalizing abortion and elevating safe paths to access, regardless of legality.”
There is even something called “abortion joy”
“The happiness of a woman who has an abortion is an indescribable sensation, how she passes it to you. I mean, that feeling of relief that she feels, and when she passes it to you, I think it is something that gives you happiness and that is why all of us do what we do… it truly is a feeling of freedom, autonomy, trust, complicity.”
https://saafund.org/the-feminist-joy-of-abortion-work/
So, to say that “no one” is pro-abortion is not true. Of course there is more to be said on the topic, but for the sake of brevity “pro-abortion” works just fine. -
Peter Anglada commented 2024-06-21 03:48:01 +1000Nicely said, Susan. Very clear and articulate.
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Anon Emouse commented 2024-06-21 03:01:50 +1000“The pro-abortion movement will stop”
My that framing is as disingenuous as me saying your side is “Pro forced birth” or “Pro rape babies”.
If Mr. Cook reads these comments – this is the type of propaganda that your side chooses to put out that deserves to be called out. No one is “pro-abortion”. -
mrscracker commented 2024-06-21 00:01:38 +1000Ah, Mr. Bunyan, I see that you also know what’s best for low income mothers.
:) -
Paul Bunyan commented 2024-06-20 06:04:20 +1000mrscracker, having more children will only push low-income women further into poverty. Poverty leads to crime, suffering and misery. Most people wouldn’t have children if they knew how expensive it was.
Love is essential, but it doesn’t pay the bills. -
mrscracker commented 2024-06-19 22:31:25 +1000Mr. Bunyan,
We live in a state where feticide is 100% illegal. Praise God. But every single one of our public health department clinics offers contraception for free. I know that other state health departments offer contraception at the very least on a sliding income scale.
Low income women are offered contraception on a regular basis, sometimes rather aggressively and to the point of harrassment. If you had been in their shoes as I have, you would already be aware of that. The more difficult thing is to politely decline repeated offers of contraception than to be able to locate it. Trust me, everyone thinks they know what’s best for low income mothers. -
Paul Bunyan commented 2024-06-19 17:55:30 +1000The easiest way to reduce abortion is to fund healthcare and make contraception free and ubiquitous.
Pro-lifers throw a hissy fit when this is suggested, since it reduces the birth rate. -
