Despite court losses, pro-life movement presses on

I represented the Christian Medical Association and Freedom2Care  today in Washington, DC for a strategy and prayer summit of leaders of the pro-life movement in the United States. Two stinging Supreme Court losses last week triggered our meeting: an overturning of a Texas law protecting women’s health and safety in abortion clinics, and a decision to refuse to review a lower court ruling allowing Washington state to force pharmacists to peddle potential abortifacients like Plan B. The latter decision portends dark and challenging days ahead for people of conscience in healthcare.

Our mood was both sober and determined.

We felt sobered by the decline in our culture—a decline which, according to 40 Days for Life leader David Bereit, parallels the historic pattern of crumbled civilizations. History has shown that sexual immorality, the disintegration of the family and a loss of respect for human life have marked the end of some of the world’s greatest civilizations.

At the same time, we also felt determined.

No one in that room had entered the pro-life movement with an illusion that building a culture of life would be any easier than the contentious work that Ezra and Nehemiah undertook in biblical days to rebuild the walls around the holy city, Jerusalem. These men and women are culture warriors, not fad followers.

They are motivated, first by a steadfast faith that God has made every human being in His image and calls us to protect the most vulnerable, and second by sheer compassion for the victims of the culture of death—both those who are killed and those who have been deceived into killing.

So we talked about strategically investing in the political process, to ensure that men and women of courage and conviction replace the typical politicians who run at the mention of opposition on pro-life issues.

We talked about influencing the culture, from polling to messaging to winning over millennials, who show encouraging trends toward a pro-life viewpoint.

I noted that our pro-life movement typically begins its outreach at the college age, in contrast to current movements to influence even elementary age students toward all kinds of anti-Chrsitian viewpoints. I suggested that we find out who is reaching children and teenagers with a pro-life message, and that we create new resources and structures to reach that age group.

Such an outreach to children and teenagers could incorporate medical and scientific information regarding fetal development and other evidence related to pro-life issues.

Perhaps you or someone you know is already providing resources to reach children and teenagers from a pro-life perspective? If so, I’d like to hear from you. Simply email me at washington@cmda.org, tell me what’s being done and provide contact information if you have it.

If we can reach the next generation to align themselves with God’s design for life, our laws eventually will reflect a new commitment to life.

Thank you for all you are doing to advanced that cause. God bless you, and keep up the good fight without wavering.