OPINION:
Monday is the 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, which struck down provisions in the criminal codes of all 50 states that made abortion a crime.
To commemorate that unfortunate ruling, those who opposed the decision and who support the restoration of states’ authority to impose legal guardrails for abortion have marched on or near the anniversary of the ruling every year.
This year was no exception; the March for Life was Friday.
The march has always had the flavor of a religious festival. The participants are heavily weighted toward Catholics and evangelicals, and there is always the sense that victory is inevitable, in large measure because, as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. noted — and as former President Barack Obama is fond of saying: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
Indeed, it does.
In the wake of the court’s corrective decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, however, the pro-life community has faced a few challenges, including losing all seven of the ballot initiatives on the issue and the inability to arrive at a consistent and winning message.
Not surprisingly, the usual suspects on the political right have become audibly nervous about right-to-life issues.
Half a century into the fight, some perspective is probably in order.
Protecting and advocating life is not just another shabby, transactional political issue, such as who will pay what in taxes or how many bullets will be allowed in a magazine. Without the protection and preservation of life, every other right and freedom that one may value becomes academic.
That is why the pro-life community has patiently worked these many years to reverse the misguided and damaging 1973 ruling.
What has changed in the wake of the Dobbs ruling is not the essential nature of the struggle but rather the terrain on which we must fight.
As he often does, Sen. Marco Rubio has shown the way forward. In an excellent and concise memo, the Florida Republican makes a compelling case that advocating a pro-child, pro-mother, pro-family agenda is one of the best ways to change the hearts and minds of those faced with what can be an incredibly difficult decision.
The reality is that at the precise moment in her life when a young woman needs support and guidance from her community, our policies essentially leave her to bear the weight — and consequences — of her decision entirely alone.
We need to make sure that mothers have the material and other support they need to make the best decisions for their children.
Moreover, we need to make it clear that there are boundaries. The only nations that allow abortions up until birth are North Korea and China. In Europe, most nations preclude abortion after 12 or 15 weeks into pregnancy. There is a recognition among people of the world that society has an interest in protecting nascent life.
Finally, we simply need to witness. As Mr. Rubio notes: “We occupy the high ground, and it’s time to act like it.”
In short, we have the great privilege of redirecting, repurposing and recommitting ourselves and our activities to the great and necessary work that still remains. If it takes 50 — or 500 — more years to complete that work, so be it.
• Michael McKenna is a contributing editor at The Washington Times. He was a deputy assistant to President Donald Trump.
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