After the Supreme Court’s historic Dobbs decision overturned one of the worst decisions in Supreme Court history, Roe v. Wade, the American pro-life movement celebrated its greatest victory for life in nearly 50 years.
At the same time, some on the radical left responded by attacking churches, pregnancy centers, and other pro-life institutions across the nation. One thing became absolutely clear: The decision instantly changed the landscape regarding abortion in America.
Besides providing an incredible victory for the pro-life movement, the court’s ruling provided a strategic opportunity for pro-life Americans to expand their vision and bring more life to a portion of our culture that has been stained with death. This vision must include the careful consideration of ending chemical abortions, expanding the rights and responsibilities of the father, and providing avenues for much-needed support to crisis pregnancy centers.
The left has tried to claim that abortion is about choice; however, its views on abortion have morphed into an attitude of irresponsibility and coerced silence. Their approach is to practice reckless “medicine” that endangers the health of women, vilify pregnancy centers that promote life as an alternative to abortion, and muzzle the father’s voice in the life of his unborn child.
Sadly, abortion practices that pro-abortion activists framed as “safe, legal, and rare” have now mutated into abortion-on-demand. Telehealth has made chemical abortion easily accessible. More than half of abortions in the United States are now chemical abortions, which are being pushed by pro-abortion activist groups to be made available for at-home use. These methods have historically required a medical professional to administer, but they’re now available to be administered at home, alone, and without the proper supervision of medical professionals. Doing so has made many homes similar to abortion clinics and has enabled some minors to administer chemical abortion pills without their parents’ knowledge.
The pro-life movement also now has an important opportunity to support crisis pregnancy centers. Unfortunately, many on the left consistently vilify and attack these centers as illegitimate clinics that are only fronts for the pro-life movement. However, the truth is these clinics offer valuable services for expectant mothers who face difficult circumstances and look for support and solutions other than abortion. They serve more than 2 million people a year and provide an array of services from ultrasounds to pregnancy tests to counseling and other valuable resources. However, the pro-abortion movement discredits these clinics and works to silence their contribution only to promote their own solution of abortion.
Policymakers can do more to support pregnancy centers by creating additional tax incentives for those who choose to donate to them and by offering further public statements of support that highlight the value and expanding work of these centers.
Additionally, abortion significantly affects fathers. The pro-life movement can help support fathers, who often feel angry, guilty, depressed, and full of grief after a child is aborted. However, the issue is more than that. For too long, the voice of the father has been muzzled, leaving them no choice and no real opportunity to speak on behalf of their unborn child. Legal precedent through cases such as Planned Parenthood v. Casey established that a mother doesn’t need to notify the father of her intention to have an abortion. The Supreme Court said the decision to have an abortion lies solely with the mother, and fathers don’t have the power to veto this decision. Fathers must have a voice, because the fact remains that abortion leaves one dead and two wounded.
Fathers must also be held responsible. Those who seek to escape their responsibility and abandon their unborn child and expectant mother must be compelled to step up and support both the mother and her unborn child from the moment of conception onward. Mothers may not always receive the emotional support they need from fathers, but fathers can be held to a financial responsibility. Some fathers—unfortunately—may need to be compelled to do so, though others will gladly assume the responsibility to support the mother and the child.
The pro-life movement has won. Now it needs to cast an expanded vision for a culture that celebrates children, mothers, and fathers, and the stewardship of life.
