Pro-lifers can sometimes get discouraged. It has been 40 years since Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision hasn’t been overturned, abortion is widely available, and 55 million lives have been lost.

While it is important to remember those lives lost, we must look forward in hope and recognize victories that happen every day.  While I was thinking about what to write about for this blog, little victories that have happened this week kept coming to mind:

A Texas teenager, who was suing her parents for forcing her to have an abortion, had a victory in court when her parents agreed to not force her to have the abortion. Lawyers argued that if Roe v. Wade gives a woman the right to abortion, then it goes the other way as well, and give the woman the right to not have an abortion.

There are four Planned Parenthood clinics in Wisconsin that will be closing due to reduction in state funding. Although not all of the clinics performed abortions, 90% of pregnant women seen in these clinics are referred for abortions, according to Barbara Lyons, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life. Also, two Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa are set to close soon.

Live are being saved through the efforts of many persevering pro-lifers who help women in Pregnancy Resource Centers, and outside abortion clinics. Since the 40 Days for Life Campaign began last week 47 lives have been saved, as of Monday, February 18!

There are also some other hopeful victories which are still in the works:

The North Dakota Senate passed 2 pro-life bills this week:  on one would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, the other would prohibit the destruction of human embryos. The bill will move to the House. The bill recognizes a human being as “an individual member of the species homo sapiens at every stage of development.” The North Dakota House passed positive pro-life legislation earlier this month prohibiting abortion after a heart beat is heard, a ban on sex-selective abortions and ban abortions for genetic defects.

On February 18, the Alabama House voted to increase restrictions on abortion clinics, the bill will move to the Republican controlled Senate. The bill proposes common sense restrictions such as requiring that a licensed physician be present during all abortions.

The Arkansas House is moving forward 2 measures which would ban most abortions, after 20 weeks of pregnancy on the premise that babies in the womb can feel pain.

There is a lot to be grateful for, and there are many little victories to celebrate as we work to build a culture of life and continue to fight for the rights of the unborn.