The upcoming 2018 March for Life will be the 45^th annual March for Life, totaling 45 years of Roe v. Wade – and legalized abortion – in America. This corresponds with the loss of nearly 59 million Americans to abortion in our country since 1973.

This is a tragic, heartbreaking statistic to consider. Every abortion is one too many, and our vision at the March for Life is a world in which every human life is valued and protected. We work towards the day when abortion is unthinkable in our country.

While there is still much work to be done, the pro-life movement has made great progress in the past 45 years. March for Life President Jeanne Mancini recently wrote about this in the Heritage Foundation’s 2017 Index of Culture and Opportunity in a piece entitled “Why Life is Winning.”

Among other signs that life is winning, she cites the steep decline in the abortion rate since its height in 1980.

Pro-life scholar Chuck Donovan of the Charlotte Lozier Institute recently joined Jeanne to discuss the abortion rate, as well as other cultural and legislative indicators on the side of life. Chuck also discussed a winning approach: to overwhelm ‘the other side’ with love.

WATCH:

A few key points discussed include:

• After the legalization of abortion in 1973, the numbers and rate of abortions surged for a period. In 1980, abortion rates began to decrease. The Hyde amendment, barring Medicaid-funded abortions was passed in 1976.
• The rate continues to decrease under both Republican and Democrat Administrations – we need to look to cultural factors to fully understand.
• Ultimately, the American people are rejecting the fundamental message of Roe; which is that abortion has minimal legal limits, is medically routine, and that it can happen up to birth.
• When you look at the numbers, we’re back at the 1973 level today. Will the Americans take the next step and decide that Roe is bad law?
• We now have a generation that has experienced what abortion does – our youth understand that abortion is violence; and they reject it.
• With ultrasound technology and what we know about abortion procedures, there is no way an abortion can be classified as anything other than violence. You also cannot deny the humanity of the baby in the womb.
• Abortion clinics are also declining in number, while Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs) have proliferated. These centers date back to the early days of the pro-life movement.
• There are 3100 PRCs across the country – that’s 4x the number of abortion clinics.
• There’s still a lot of work to do with 900,000 abortions per year and chemical abortions on the rise.

For more information:

Heritage Foundation Index of Opportunity on Culture: “Why Life is Winning,” by Jeanne Mancini

Heritage Foundation “Index of Culture and Opportunity”: Life Is on the Right Track