Protecting Some Babies is Not Enough, We Must Protect Every Baby From Abortion

In 1974, Nellie Gray and several others coordinated a march on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court that legalized abortion in all 50 states. His goal? To draw a line in the sand at the horrific abuse of human rights that abortion is.

Little did he expect that the March for Life would become the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world in the years after that first march! After 50 years of hard work, passion, dedication and the collective efforts of millions of pro-life Americans standing up for the most vulnerable among us, the unborn, Roe v. Wade is behind us, bringing us one step closer to a culture of American life.

Since that wonderful morning in June just a year ago, a lot has changed in our country. Half of the states are taking steps to enact and create permanent pro-life laws that protect the unborn while offering resources and support for expectant mothers.

States including Florida, North Carolina, Nebraska and 22 others have passed laws protecting life at 12-weeks or earlier, working to save countless babies while helping women and restoring families.

However, while we celebrate tremendous gains, and a strengthened pro-life movement, there remains a significant gap between where we are and where we are going, i.e. a culture of life.

Currently, half of the country fails to offer meaningful protections for unborn children and women. As a result, thousands of innocent lives created to thrive and develop will never be given the opportunity to do so.

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Many state lawmakers and federal leaders are pushing for draconian abortion laws, going far beyond what Roe allows, pushing for terminal procedures while removing supportive protections for women.

In November, Michigan approved a ballot initiative enshrining abortion in their constitution. This allows for unpopular (and more horrific) abortions up until the moment of birth in the state, which are fully funded by the taxpayer.

California is working not only to celebrate late term abortion, but also to make care less expensive for pregnant women by attacking the resource centers they can use in the state.

While these new changes to the state constitution may not come as a surprise, in places like California abortion zealots are also aggressively pursuing and funding such initiatives in more historically pro-life states. Ohio, for example, has a rich history of supporting and protecting life, but was targeted by an abortion-industry backed amendment on the ballot this November.

The amendment would allow for late-term abortions, for any reason, to be fully funded by the taxpayer, while offering no protections for the many women who experience pressure to abort. Parental consent laws will be repealed and the Buckeye state will become a hotbed for late-term abortions and fewer health and safety protections for women and girls.

A year after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, we have made such progress but there remains a lot of confusion over the false idea that abortion rights are good for women. But changing the culture and working against human rights abuses has not been easy or a short game.

It took 58 years for the Supreme Court to correct Plessy v Ferguson (1896) in the Brown v Board of Education (1954) decision, making racial discrimination illegal. And when the Supreme Court ruled that interracial marriage was a constitutional right in 1967 in Loving v Virginia, only a scant 4% of Americans agreed with the outcome.

If it takes 50 years or more for our country to respect and defend all human life, to build a culture of life, we are here for it. We will march as long as necessary – in Washington, DC and in state capitals across the country.

We will continue to be a voice for the voiceless, a hand for the hopeless, and a solid foundation for the pro-life movement. Fortunately, we can leave Roe v. Wade in the dust of our steps, but we are really just getting started.

LifeNews Note: Jeanne Mancini is the President of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.