Pro-Life Movement's Struggles After the Dobbs Decision Explained

The issue of abortion sharply divides America. There are two sides to this: pro-abortion and pro-life. The right-to-life crowd has been having some struggles as of late due to a wide variety of issues. But to understand the problems of the present, the past is always the first stop. The pro-life movement spans decades. It began to attract national attention in 1973 with the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. That led the anti-abortion crowd to continually petition the Court to overturn its decision. On June 24th, 2022, they got their wish. The Court issued the landmark Dobbs decision. This decision was the 10th Amendment in action. The 10th Amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” This was the Court’s reasoning behind overturning the Roe decision. There was never a constitutional right to abortion. They didn’t say it wasn’t a right, but they said that the federal government shouldn’t have the power here. The decision prohibits the federal government from having any control over abortion.

So the issue returned to the states. Some states, like California and Michigan, passed amendments to protect the procedure immediately. Other states, like Texas, have passed severely restricted abortion laws. In terms of “swing states”, results have been varied for the pro-life movement. Eighteen states have strict restrictions. Twenty-eight states have little to no restrictions. To put it simply, pro-life isn’t winning. They have become a political pariah of sorts. In the 2024 election, President Trump tried to distance his campaign from them. He was vocal about the fact that a second Trump administration would approach the issue with a degree of neutrality. It’s the same for numerous other politicians. They’re pro-life in word only because it’s not viable to take action. The movement is having minimal successes. The obvious question is: why? Why are they losing so much? This is a multifaceted problem. Most of the issue is political strategy, and a small percentage goes towards actual messaging.

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Strategy in a fight is everything. A great strategy could lead to great victories. Such was the case in 2024, when Michigan upset Ohio State 13-10. The Wolverines only had 62 passing yards. They ran the ball, kept the Buckeyes’ offense off the field, and played exceptional defense. This allowed Michigan to upset Ohio State on the road as 21.5-point underdogs. If you, perhaps, are more well-versed in the tactics of war, then look at the strategy of Washington during the Revolution. He understood clearly that he had to fight a war of attrition against Britain. We all know how that ended.

Strategy is something that the pro-life crusaders do not understand. The important thing with Dobbs was that the issue returned to the states, forcing a vote. An average strategist would know that the fight is now at the state level. The same strategist would realize that each state is different. The proponents of the right to life do not see this. They continue to hold the March for Life and continue to petition the federal government. On a particular note about the March, it is nothing more than virtue signaling. A reasonable person could guess that most attendees despise virtue signaling but don’t realize they are doing it. Those in favor of the first unalienable right are overly worried about the slight possibility of national legislation supporting abortion. Might I add that it is likely to be struck down as unconstitutional under the 10th Amendment. They’ve shifted toward the states, but it is too little. The states demand full attention.

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The defenders of the unborn have another fatal flaw. They believe that President Trump will come to their aid. President Trump has been vocal about the fact that his administration will do nothing. The “outrage” that ensued after the FDA approved a new abortion pill was ridiculous. The president had made it known that he wasn’t going to be extreme on this issue. This sort of thing shouldn’t have been a surprise. The president did all he could do by appointing Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. These appointments helped to topple Roe. Yet, the approval of the pill was met with shock and outrage. “How could the FDA do such a thing!” they cried. Had they understood the president’s position, there never would have been an issue. Help is not coming from the federal government.

The final piece of the problem is messaging. The Friends of the Unborn have adopted a stance of total victory. They desire no abortions whatsoever. Their hope is one fair swoop, and that’s it. This is, unsurprisingly, not popular. According to the Pew Research Center, 63% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. I acknowledge and lament this fact. I, however, realize that there is great room for a compromise. In certain states, such as ours, a slight increase in restrictions is possible. Small incremental increases are the key to victory. The important thing to remember, friends, is that small gains will add up over the course of many years.

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What, then, is the solution to these issues? If I may, I will humbly propose my own solution. It begins by combining all national pro-life organizations into a single council. The current CEO’s of the organizations will all have a seat at the table and will lead it. They will each head a division that plays to their strengths, such as social media or college talks. But because it is near impossible to comprehend 50 unique situations, these divisions will be staffed by people from all states. The council will also support the creation of groups in all states, which are run by people who have an in-depth understanding of the situation. All of this will allow for a more state-first approach. That simple change of thought, friends, is the key to numerous victories for this movement.