January 22nd: Roe turns 46 years old and New York jubilantly celebrates the passage of a new radical late-term abortion bill aimed at “codifying Roe”.

January 29th: A video goes viral of Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran defending a bill that would allow abortion even after a woman goes into labor.

January 30th: Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia suggests support for infanticide of a baby who survives an abortion on live radio. (He has yet to retract his comments.)

February 25th: 44 Senate Democrats vote against providing medical care for newborn babies who survive abortions – in other words, infanticide. (Thankfully, 50 Republicans and 3 Democrats voted in favor of the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, but the legislation needed 60 votes to advance in the Senate.)

There is only one way to describe these events: abortion extremism.

Most Americans picked their jaw off the floor in disbelief when each of these events made headlines. However, the truth of the matter is that abortion extremism exists across the country.  For example, only 7 countries in the world allow abortion past 5 months gestation, including North Korea, China, and the United States, and 8 states (plus D.C.) allow abortion until birth.

I get it; this is disheartening. But let me share the good news and practical action steps you can take to make a difference in 2019.

America is waking up

The good news is that a large majority of Americans do not support the radical bills proposed in Virginia and New York. What many people didn’t realize is that these bills are championed by pro-abortion lobby groups, most notably NARAL and Planned Parenthood.

Recent displays of radicalism woke Americans up to what the pro-choice lobby is all about. For the first time in 10 years, Marist polling showed a tie between pro-choice and pro-life self-identifying Americans in February.

Amazing!

Democrats last month: 20% identify as pro-life vs. 75% as pro-choice.

Democrats this month: 34% identify as pro-life vs. 61% as pro-choice. @KofC @axios https://t.co/b95F1KRCos

— March for Life (@March_for_Life) February 25, 2019

Time will tell if the shift remains, but the lesson to be learned here is this: when pro-choice Americans wake up to the radicalism of pro-choice politicians, they are willing to rethink their position. This should give the pro-life movement encouragement.

>>>> Recent Gallup Survey on Abortion Offers Hope to Pro-Lifers

Now that the news cycle has moved on, what can you do to keep the momentum going?

Get educated

First, educate yourself and others. There are tons of great pro-life educational resources at your fingertips.

To list just a few sources:

• Charlotte Lozier Institute
• Live Action
• Americans United For Life
• March for Life (check out our recent blogs and stay tuned for more content!)

These groups will help you answer tough questions about abortion and provide excellent materials to share with your on-the-fence or pro-choice friends.  With these resources, you can confidently answer why you are pro-life. (If you didn’t see your go-to pro-life education organization, leave the name and link in the comments!)

Get active

Second, take action in your community. Making abortion not just illegal, but unthinkable, is a mighty task. While not all of us are supposed to run for office or direct a pregnancy resource clinic, we all have an unrepeatable role to play.

Start by choosing one way to get active in the pro-life community this year. That’s it. Just one.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Sign up to pray outside of an abortion clinic with 40 Days for Life.
2. Donate to your local pregnancy resource clinic. (Find a clinic here: care-net.org)
3. Petition your legislatures on specific pro-life legislation with March for Life Action.
4. Attend the March for Life.
5. Start a Students for Life chapter at your school.

When Nellie Gray began the March for Life in 1974, she could never have dreamed that it would become the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world. Likewise, it is impossible for us to know the difference our little “yes” can make in defending the lives of the most vulnerable among us.

So, let’s get moving – many lives depend on it.