This weekend, tens of thousands joined in a yearly pilgrimage that has now spanned half a century: the March for Life. Ever since an activist Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade and mistakenly read a “right to abortion” into the U.S. Constitution, America’s pro-life movement has shown up every year to make its voice heard in defense of the 63 million-plus unborn babies who have been lost to abortion.
Finally, after decades of marching, praying, advocating, and educating, Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, returning the abortion debate back to the states. This momentous decision reminds us just how important civic participation can be in our country and why it is our duty as citizens to make our voices heard.
Upon taking office, one of the very first things Donald Trump did was reinstate and expand the “Mexico City Policy,” which blocked U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to international organizations that perform or promote abortions. The Trump administration also took swift action to defund abortion providers at home by strengthening the Hyde Amendment protections in order to ensure that taxpayers would not have to spend their hard-earned dollars in a way that goes against their religious beliefs. Trump also appointed three constitutionalists to the Supreme Court, which ultimately led to the overturn of Roe v. Wade and has saved hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, with perhaps millions more to come.
Today, we see a different example of leadership on this topic. The Biden administration has expanded abortion access at every opportunity possible, from illegally promoting medication-induced abortions to funding out-of-state travel for those seeking abortions to skirting federal law by changing the medical regulations regarding abortion pills delivered by mail — and everything in between. We have also seen the radical Left aggressively push its extreme abortion agenda by supporting abortion all the way up to the point of birth, delivered on demand and paid for by the taxpayer. As a pro-life movement, we must remember that the Democratic Party is far out of line with the views of the public.
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But with the overturn of Roe, the pro-life movement must now continue to turn our focus to the state level. When it comes to the pro-life cause, we have a lot of work left to do. Although there is no longer a federal right to abortion, and many individual states have moved swiftly to protect life at the state level, the number of abortions across the country is still well over 900,000 each year. To put an end to this national tragedy, we need to advocate not just for changes in law but also for changes in culture. Conversion is ultimately a far more effective remedy than coercion, and our goal as a movement must be to build a culture that cherishes life from the moment of conception and views abortion as unthinkable.
As we continue to march, pray, and stand up for what we believe, our movement reminds us that none of us are too small to make a difference. By the grace of God — and the courage of brave men and women committed to standing for life — we have come this far. While we still have a lot of work left to do, the thousands of marchers who braved the frigid temperatures this past weekend give me hope that we have good people eager to transform our country and usher in a new culture of life in America.
Dr. Ben Carson is the founder and chairman of the American Cornerstone Institute.