After Roe, we need to address these fears
Democrats have been relentless in their attacks against the GOP for working to restrict access to abortion and save the lives of the unborn since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And it's no secret that they believe doing so will save them from a disastrous election cycle this November.
Unfortunately for them, Republicans are doing much more than preventing the killing of the unborn. They’re laying the groundwork for a post-Roe America that values all life equally and is committed to building the wrap-around care and infrastructure millions of women will need in order to access essential maternity and medical services.
It’s well-documented that women who seek abortions are motivated by a fear of poverty, lack of medical access, or a feeling of insufficient support or readiness for the pregnancy and child.
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Now, in the aftermath of Roe’s reversal, these are the needs that we should be working harder to address. These are the fears that we can help alleviate. And that work is going to be critical moving forward, because these fears won’t be alleviated simply because the Supreme Court voted to return abortion legislative power to the states.
In fact, New York, California, and Illinois have seen major upticks in abortion rates in the past few years, in part because they’ve reduced restrictions. An estimated 34.5% of all New York pregnancies end in abortion. That is a nearly incomprehensible statistic.
That’s why pro-life advocates must continue working to revolutionize crisis pregnancy resources, even as we develop lifesaving legislation on the state level. We’re already making a positive difference. Pregnancy centers vastly outnumber abortion clinics. One study found they outpaced Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest single abortion provider, at a rate of 14 to 1.
Developments like the Alternatives to Abortion program in Texas are an essential part of our broader response. The state identified a real need and focused on solving it with comprehensive, wrap-around services. The result was a statewide net for vulnerable women.
Texas mothers who otherwise might have felt forced to abort their child now have access to counseling, medical resources, material assistance, housing support, and a vast network of social services that will make their pregnancy and motherhood possible.
And the work we’re seeing in red states such as Florida, Missouri, North Dakota, and Texas is exactly the kind of revolutionary response required of America after Roe. This is our pro-life future: A future where motherhood is restored to its rightful place as a cause for joy, solidarity, and hope.
The pro-abortion sloganeering of abortion activists ignores the real needs of our mothers and our nation. They think they can convince expectant mothers that they need a way out if their careers, health, and freedom are important to them. They think they can generate enough fear to distract from their egregious and ongoing failures of leadership.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
And our mothers, and their unborn children, are worth the fight. The future of our nation is worth it. Working to preserve life, hope and justice will always be a winning cause.
Timothy Head is the executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
