Pro-Life Has Become a Losing Issue

Voters in seven out of ten states recently approved ballot measures to protect or expand abortion. States like Arizona, Maryland, and New York just approved measures to enshrine abortion in their constitutions, reflecting a strong response to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

In places like Missouri and Montana, where state legislatures previously enacted restrictive abortion laws, pro-abortion ballot measures passed, giving abortion activists a model for challenging existing bans. Even states with generally conservative leanings and who vote for Republican politicians saw voter-led support for abortion.

Overall, and when taking into consideration the elections since Roe’s overturn, pro-life laws have generally been a losing issue at the ballot box. In 2022, Kansas voters struck down a proposal that would have declared that their state Constitution doesn’t protect abortion rights.

That same year, California, Michigan, and Vermont moved to enshrine abortion access into their constitutions during the midterms, while Montana voters rejected a measure that would have provided legal rights to infants born alive after failed abortion attempts.

Kentucky voters also declined a similar anti-abortion amendment. And just last November, Ohio followed suit, choosing to create a constitutional amendment to protect abortion.

Many of the left-wing pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) spend millions of dollars supporting ballot initiatives, usually far more than pro-life groups spend.

George Soros-backed dark money groups also spent millions of dollars in 2023 on Ohio’s ballot question on abortion. These groups do not even operate within the state, but send donations out of blue cities such as Washington DC, and New York.

Donald Trump, after taking credit for returning the abortion issue back to the states, has stated he would not sign into law a national abortion ban. Now, pro-life Republicans are left to change minds from the ground up, though at present, Americans appear to favor abortion.