WASHINGTON, D.C. – When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the historic decision seemed to be the victorious finish line of nearly 50 years of pro-life work. Instead, it led to an unexpected twist and a new starting line.
Frank Pavone with Priests for Life explains, “Yeah, it’s a big adjustment, first of all, for both the pro-life and the pro-choice movements; one, when Roe was reversed, a change, frankly, that neither side was, you know, fully prepared for.”
That adjustment has been messy. Some states have tightened abortion laws, while many others have expanded access. “Much of this is a necessary natural consequence of leaving abortion policy to the ultimate decision of what essentially are 52 different jurisdictions, 52 where there’s the 50 states, there’s DC, which has its own jurisdiction, and then there’s the federal government,” Pavone says.
While President Trump has supported federal pro-life policies, he has insisted states decide the question of abortion bans. Chad Connelly with Faith Wins says a middle ground is needed. “I think there’s going to have to be some federal guidelines so that states like Illinois, Massachusetts, and California and New York aren’t killing babies up till birth. That’s just disgusting.”
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The biggest controversy centers on the abortion pill mifepristone. Many pro-life activists want stronger federal action, including more FDA restrictions and a closer review of its safety and distribution. They also see the mailing of abortion pills as bypassing state restrictions. Trump, though, remains largely silent on the issue, leading Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, to declare that, “Trump is the problem.”
Those tough words seemed to pay off. Last month, the President relieved FDA Commissioner Marty Makary of his duties, in part due to the pro-life complaints over how the agency handled mifepristone. It should be noted that the abortion rate has risen since Roe v. Wade ended, mostly due to the abortion pill, which now accounts for roughly 63 percent of all abortions.
“We don’t want to see Dobbs overturn Roe v. Wade and then have abortions go up in the country,” Chad Connelly says. “We want to see some regulations, some standards, some guidelines put in place. And it starts with policy. And it really matters what happens at FDA level.”
There’s no doubt the abortion pill issue puts President Trump in a political bind because it exposes a growing tension inside his coalition. The result is a delicate balancing act: hold on to pro-life supporters who expect more action, while not reopening a national abortion battle before the midterm elections that could create political headaches his administration would rather avoid.
“I don’t know how granular he’s getting into all this, but I do think, in an overall sense, that consultants have always thought we just got to get rid of abortion as an issue,” says Connelly.
Connelly hopes the change at the FDA takes off some of the pressure. “I sure hope that pro-life voters see that the president and the administration are paying attention to these concerns and not just sloughing them off.”
As pro-life voters get set to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, Frank Pavone says they need to understand something important going forward. “I think a key distinction has to be made. He is the most pro-life president, but when we say the most pro-life president, we’re talking about his role as president. We’re not saying he’s the most pro-life, pro-life activist, right? Or a pro-life leader. We don’t need him to be. We need him to do the job the president is supposed to do to help the pro-life movement achieve its goal, which, of course, is the eradication of all abortion, the protection of every unborn child. Is he leading us closer to that goal? What are the results? Absolutely. He’s leading us more close to that goal than we’ve ever been before.”
And the pro-life movement intends to hold him accountable each step of the way.
