The President of a prominent Pro-Life organization, the Susan B. Anthony List, made a stark observation on abortion in a recent interview with WND TV. Marjorie Dannenfelser was asked what effect four decades of Roe v. Wade has had on America.
She responded that the principles enshrined in the decision, access to abortion for any reason up to the point of birth, have “eroded the hearts of America.” Dannenfelser then compared the United States to countries known for heinous human rights violations, saying, “This has not been the case with countries all around the world. We are one of seven countries that has refrained from drawing a line—even after twenty weeks. We’re accompanied by Vietnam, North Korea, China, and other countries that are not human rights champions.”
Dannenfelser made a poignant connection between the “erosion” caused by the long legacy of Roe v. Wade and the federal government’s unwillingness to draw a line on the commission of abortion at any point in a mother’s pregnancy. “That erosion of the heart—that scarring tissue that is on our hearts—has meant that we have not drawn a line yet,” Dannenfelser said. This resistance to Life-affirming legislation was most recently seen when a North Carolina representative, Renee Ellmers, interfered with the passage of legislation that would have protected preborn children from twenty weeks of pregnancy on the grounds that they irrefutably feel the excruciating pain of abortion.
The latest setback in passing Life-affirming legislation is not a cause for surrender, but rather the struggle should galvanize the Pro-Life movement. “We need to be ambitious for fighting for as many children as can be saved right now,” Dannenfelser continued, “and then keep scaling back. As soon as we save the 18,000 to 15,000 with the pain-capable bill, we need to start saving the rest.” Dannenfelser’s vision for systematically restoring the Right to Life to all babies is shared by many states.
Pain-capable legislation has quickly spread throughout the U.S., with Texas pioneering the approach in 2013 with the passage of House Bill 2, which included protections for babies 20 weeks and beyond. However, a federal law is a much-needed next step.
Watch Dannenfelser’s remarks here.