The effort to preserve the lives of children took a painful blow on Tuesday when Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion into the state’s Constitution. The move follows other states that have had similar results since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, which removes federal control over how states regulate the procedure.
The overturning of Roe left the pro-life movement in an awkward spot; many did not think such a victory was possible, especially at this moment in America’s history. Much of the pro-life movement’s focus was dedicated to getting rid of Roe, and now that it has happened, the movement has to recalibrate.
Ohio’s results revealed that pro-lifers will need to focus more on winning the culture over to their way of thinking when it comes to abortion rather than relying on a purely governmental solution. Being that most of my audience is pro-life, I asked my followers on X how they think the effort to preserve life should continue in a post-Roe era. Some of the answers were quite interesting.
So here's a question...with the Ohio results in mind...how can the pro-life movement start changing more minds about abortion in the post-Roe Era?
— Jeff Charles, An Awful Pundit🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) November 8, 2023
How can it move the needle?#OhioIssue1
Blogger Kaeley Triller responded by saying the conservative movement must rethink its messaging to women. She suggested that there is an undeniable disconnect between advocating for unborn lives and the rhetoric directed at the women carrying those lives. “We’re constantly flooded with messaging about how single moms are red flags,” she wrote, also highlighting how some on the right “shame anyone on welfare as a drain to the system.”
Triller argued that replacing disdain for single mothers with compassion and genuine support would go a long way toward persuading mothers to keep their children or seek adoption.
The way conservatives talk about women is often pretty awful.
— Kaeley Triller (@KaeleyT) November 8, 2023
We’re constantly flooded with messaging about how single moms are red flags.
We tell single moms that their kids are screwed without fathers.
We shame anyone on welfare as a drain to the system. (Last week a FB…
Former Midland city council candidate Ross Schumann recommended taking a more incremental approach, noting that these types of changes rarely happen overnight. He highlighted the struggle for civil rights and how it took a concerted effort over time to manifest results.
Have to move the needle incrementally. You will never convince people overnight to change their mind, and it can often take a generation or two.
— Ross Schumann (@RossSchumann) November 8, 2023
This was the same for racial integration. Too much to fast makes people uncomfortable.
Ezra Wyrick, communications director at the Liberty Youth Coalition, suggested that having no exceptions to the abortion restrictions pushed by pro-lifers in red states could be making it harder to persuade people to support legislation prohibiting the practice. He also argued that educating people “on the benefits of adoption” rather than focusing primarily on opposing abortion.
Start with totally abandoning the no exceptions crap, and launching a comprehensive effort to educate the populace on the benefits of adoption, as opposed to abortion.
— Ezra Wyrick 🗽 (@Ezra4Liberty) November 8, 2023
Last but not least, Ruth Peterson’s input was similar to Wyrick’s in that she emphasized supporting women considering abortion instead of simply railing against the procedure itself.
Stop talking about banning abortion & start talking about supporting pregnant women/children/families. Empower women to choose life over abortion. Not by banning it, but by going all in on supporting the choice of life. We allow the narrative to encourage the choice of death.
Stop talking about banning abortion & start talking about supporting pregnant women/children/families. Empower women to choose life over abortion. Not by banning it, but by going all in on supporting the choice of life. We allow the narrative to encourage the choice of death.
— Ruth Peterson (@RuthAPeterson) November 8, 2023
Each of these suggestions has merit. But from my perspective, having participated in these discussions for years, I believe the pro-life movement needs to move into a season in which it focuses on empowering and supporting women who might be considering terminating their pregnancies. I am also empathetic to the notion that sometimes conservatives have not displayed the level of compassion and understanding that should be shown to mothers who are afraid to have their children. I think approaching these individuals with humanity instead of condemnation will go a long way toward winning them over to the side of life.
Using legislation to bar the procedure in certain states will certainly help to decrease abortions, but if we want to make the practice obsolete, we have to focus on the culture. Persuasion will be the key element in this equation more so than state action.
