I have had a bit of a hiatus from posting current events, not that there is nothing to talk about. However, there has been a lot of reorganizing, posturing, and planning (on both sides of the issue of how to regulate abortion) in the aftermath of Dobbs in June 2022. One must not get drowned in the noise by paying too much attention to the minutiae.

At the same time that there are events that we should be aware of, it is clear that we have been entering a new era with the development of new strategies on both sides…a bit of action and reaction… as we settle in for the battle to recognize that life begins at conception and that the entity growing in the mother’s body is a real person.

The forerunners of the “new plan” actually began before the Dobbs decision in June 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade. It has now been one year since that decision. We first went through the phase of anger, fear, hate, and violence directed against pro-life advocates as the evil behind those driven by power and money revealed itself. Then over the last several months, as legal battles played out, with successes and losses on both sides, new long term strategies have been firming up.

The main topic about which I have been asked to speak lately is “where is the pro-life movement now” and “what should we be doing.” Accordingly, I will share with you the consensus that is emerging.

First and foremost, access to abortion in the United States (taken as a whole) has been only slightly attenuated over the past year, overall down a few percent (but obviously much less in “pro-life states”). However, the number of women with unplanned pregnancies remains a serious social problem.

It must be recognized that the concept of morality and abstinence until marriage has been eroded, along with the secularization of society in general. For decades, young women reaching maturity have faced issues such as engagement in sex outside of a commitment in marriage, concern for sexually transmitted diseases, little education in contraceptive options, the consequences of an unwanted pregnancy, and the indoctrination that the “thing” causing a positive pregnancy test is a “piece of tissue” and that the only responsible choice in untenable life circumstances is abortion.

When abortion was readily available everywhere, pro-life organizations basically engaged in damage control with pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and parish “Gabriel Projects” (in Catholic communities) seeking to educate women and help them choose to have their baby instead of having an abortion. However, in the aftermath of Casey in 1992, pro-life legislators in many states introduced laws pushing back against Roe, trying to take back the right of the states to debate and regulate abortion in their own communities. With Dobbs, success was finally complete.

The overturn of Roe was not without some anticipation and not without contingency plans and laws on the books in many states that would be “triggered” when Roe was overturned. Within a few weeks of the Dobbs decision, numerous organizations held conferences to share strategies, and dozens of national organizations spoke to the many fronts on which the upcoming battles would be fought.

As we now celebrate the one year anniversary of the return of the debate to our communities, those in the trenches working with women and those doing fundraising to help those on the front lines are asking the questions concerning what we should do going forward, where shall we place our effort.

That discussion involves both short-term and long-term strategies, but we must first identify the goals for which we strive. With the battleground now in the communities of the fifty states, and with many of those states dominated by those who support abortion, the prize is in the hearts and minds of the people. When most people awaken to the fact that a new human life begins at the moment of conception and that the growing baby in a woman’s body, no matter how tiny, is a real person, then abortion as a form of birth control will be abhorrent.

Since this is going to be a process that we will pursue over time, our short-term strategy must be to continue providing free help to pregnant women who seek it, showing them the tiny developing baby on ultrasound, engaging the father when possible, providing education, maternal and baby items, and emotional support, as well as offering solutions through community resources to meet her needs.

Our short-term challenges are related to fifty years of women being indoctrinated into thinking that their lives will be ruined by having a baby in the context of the difficult circumstances in which many women find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy. These are very real concerns.

So, our long-term strategy is to educate the public and pursue legislative strategies to progressively restrict abortion where it is now widely available and sometimes actively encouraged. If women cannot legally get an abortion, they will turn increasingly to various sources for help. Victories in the battle over hearts and minds will progressively result in legislation pushing women in the direction to choose life for her baby, a real person who could grow to be among the movers and shakers, the workers and clerks, and the leaders who will solve the problems of our society.

If only it were that simple.

The facts are that women are now able to use contraception, back it up with the “morning after pill,” use a highly accurate over-the-counter pregnancy test if late for her menstrual cycle, and take the abortion pills if she is pregnant. That would seem to make abortion a private matter in future. However, we do not yet envision a society in which women are educated in such matters, are able to carry out such a plan, and have the financial means. All of the poverty and ignorance that we encounter today will persist. Women will continue to present later in pregnancy and be faced with decisions to accept help and keep the baby or to have an abortion.

At the same time, the difficult circumstances in which women find themselves with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy are very real and can cause immense anxiety and stress. Consider a 17-year-old young woman about to leave high school and go to college. Consider a 25-year-old woman who is working a dead end job but going to night school to try and break out of poverty. Consider the woman sharing an apartment with another woman….if she has the baby, she will have to move.

These topics are better discussed orally in the talks I give in which I can speak to the chapter in my book on which women have an abortion and why they have an abortion. In almost all cases, there is more than one reason, and often 3-4 reasons, which amount to an overwhelming drive to end the pregnancy, even when it is not legal to do so, and even when there is abundant help available.

So, the issue is hugely complex. Surely we must continue to provide direct care to those asking for help. We must also protect life through legislation. And, we must educate the public so that it becomes more real to more and more people that the tiny, unseen entity growing in the woman is a real person.

But, our impact will be limited as long as we do not address the conditions in society that propel a woman to the dreadful decision to kill her baby. A woman must be able to pursue education, continue her job, be off work as necessary when pregnant or to care for a sick child or to keep doctor appointments, have a means for childcare, have a solution to housing issues… all the overwhelming issues a woman faces when pregnant and in poverty and/or without support by the father and her family.

There is much more that we could discuss, and I address much of this in my book and in my lectures. I hope the reader will be motivated to learn more, to contemplate solutions, and be prepared to support those propositions that will enable more women to reject abortion, have her baby, and still be able to pursue all the good things in life that she desires.

The Pro-Life movement is often criticized with the assertion that we only care about the baby. Let us be sure that we do not forget the mother. We do care about the mother, to be sure, and we are sometimes able to continue some degree of support for even three years after the baby is born. But, we need to understand what drives women to seek an abortion, and we must find solutions.