The pro-life movement suffered significant setbacks during the
midterm elections
when voters in several states overwhelmingly rejected ballot initiatives to limit access to
abortion.
But there is much reason for optimism: Pro-life laws are steadily advancing in red and purple states despite well-funded, coordinated opposition from abortion advocates.
For example, in North Carolina this week, state legislators overruled a veto by the state’s Democratic governor to pass a law establishing a 12-week limit on elective abortions. The law provides exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and
medical emergency
and thus won the support of a formerly Democratic state representative who switched to the state’s Republican Party last month. Her support gave Republicans the vote they needed to override Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC).
WHAT THE GOP WORK REQUIREMENT PROPOSAL WOULD REALLY DO
South Carolina lawmakers similarly passed their own abortion ban this week, prohibiting abortions after six weeks, when a baby’s heartbeat can be detected. The law is the result of negotiations between the state’s representatives and senators. The South Carolina House initially advocated a more stringent ban that would have prohibited abortion from the moment of conception, but such a bill would not have survived the state Senate’s filibuster. Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) is expected to sign the heartbeat bill into law.
Similar negotiations are taking place in Nebraska, which stands poised to pass its own 12-week abortion ban. Conservatives in the state legislature tried to pass a six-week ban last month, but they fell one vote short after state Sen. Merve Riepe withdrew his support. Riepe was, however, willing to back a 12-week ban, which advanced this week and faces a final vote next week.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) recently signed into law the Heartbeat Protection Act, which bans abortions after six weeks. And in Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) signed into law a bill that bans dilation and evacuation abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy — the most common abortive method used during the second trimester. The bill was temporarily blocked by a court this week, but state Republicans remain determined to see the effort through.
That’s five states, five critical pro-life laws, passed in just over five weeks. Think of all the lives that will be saved as a result.
Pro-lifers ought to take these victories to heart and remember that incremental progress is vital. We must also remember that such progress is often only possible when there is compromise. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Nebraska’s pro-life laws are each the result of lengthy negotiations and debates to find common ground. If lawmakers had not been willing to make concessions, these states would be radically more pro-abortion than they are now.
Again, there is much to be hopeful about in this post-Roe v. Wade era. Slowly but surely, the pro-life movement is gaining ground. And for right now, that’s more than enough.
