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Political change is giving the abortion lobby an upper hand. What's the best action for pro-life Christians to take next? Melinda Delahoyde, president of Care Net, Clenard H. Childress Jr., founder of BlackGenocide.org., and Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, suggest the next steps for the pro-life movement.

After the 2008 presidential election, the media wrote the pro-life movement's obituary. But, to borrow Mark Twain's quip, recent events show that reports of our movement's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

The challenges are as difficult as ever, but we are still seeing progress. In the last year alone, we've seen requests for Americans United for Life's legislative counsel increase fivefold. A vibrant movement to restrict abortion at the state level continues: Over the last year, our legal team has provided assistance in 30 states where pro-life legislation was being considered.

This is precisely where our best leverage is: in the state legislatures. Even though the Supreme Court imposed a right to abortion on the American people, we still have the ability, through the legislative process, to impose court-allowed regulations and restrictions on the procedure. These measures leave a path open toward the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Research from University of Alabama professor Michael New reveals that parental-involvement laws lead to a 13 to 19 percent decrease in the number of abortions among minors in a state. Yet there are still 14 states that do not have such laws. Ultrasound technology is one of the most powerful tools for educating minds and hearts about the humanity of the unborn. Eighteen states currently require that women receive information about available ultrasound services prior to abortion, or require them to have an ultrasound prior to abortion.

The abortion lobby recognizes the potency of these legislative achievements and is pushing back vigorously. Recently, the pro-life movement succeeded in getting off the legislative agenda the federal Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which would have eliminated all present and future regulations on abortion.

After this setback, the abortion lobby turned to the health-care reform legislation to impose FOCA by stealth. They are working to ensure that abortion will be defined as "reproductive health care" so that taxpayers will have to fund abortions as a component of ordinary, everyday "health."

During a recent congressional debate, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) said, "Abortion is a legal medical practice. Why are we even having to talk about it? We're not talking about whether you can or can't have your tonsils out … ."

Imagine a world in which we cannot differentiate between an abortion and a tonsillectomy. This is precisely the situation we now face. The first link on Planned Parenthood's website under the organization's name is "health," and the first category under health is "abortion." The abortion lobby wants to win by definition. If they succeed at defining abortion as part of health care, they will have shifted the entire debate.

The fight over health care is a watershed battle for the pro-life movement. Pro-life Americans need to ensure that the stealth agenda to impose FOCA through the health-care system is clearly exposed and defeated. Then they need to focus on passing pro-life laws in their state legislatures.

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Charmaine Yoest is president of Americans United for Life, the Chicago-based legal arm of the pro-life movement. Melinda Delahoyde and Clenard H. Childress Jr. also suggested the pro-life movement's next moves.

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October 2009, Vol. 53, No. 10