On June 24, 2022, we rejoiced the historic moment when the U.S. Supreme Court ended the moral and constitutional tragedy of Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision. SCOTUS returned the issue of abortion to the states— the people and their elected officials.

But as we mark the 4-year milestone of the overturn of Roe, we must examine the new era in which we find ourselves.

The Wins 🙌

Since Roe was overturned:

  • Thousands of babies have been saved because Texas and other pro-life states have enacted strong laws that protect unborn children and defeated efforts by abortion radicals to add extreme abortion rights measures to state constitutions.
  • Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities in the U.S. have closed, including the largest Planned Parenthood in the Western Hemisphere in Houston, Texas.
  • The federal government defunded $700 million of taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood for one year effective July 4 of last year.
  • A recent Gallup Poll shows the public’s moral acceptance of abortion has fallen 5% from a high of 54% in the past two years.
  • Federal and state governments have allocated hundreds of millions in taxpayer funding to pregnancy resource centers, adoption options, counseling and material support. Texas leads the nation, dedicating a record $340 million to its Thriving Texas Families Program.  
  • Louisiana v. FDA and numerous other lawsuits filed by pro-life states including Texas are aggressively challenging the mail-order availability and illegal trafficking of chemical abortion pills—mifepristone—into their states.

 

The Losses ❌

Our work is far from finished:

  • A number of states have enacted pro-abortion laws and constitutional amendments enshrining abortion rights up until birth.
  • The abortion industry has adapted, with chemical abortion pills now accounting for at least two-thirds of abortions nationwide.
  • The Biden Administration eliminated the FDA’s in-person doctor visit and dispensing requirements for a pregnant woman wanting chemical abortion pills.
  • More babies are killed by abortion now than before Dobbs due to the mail-order availability of abortion pills through telehealth and online platforms:
    • More than 1.13 million babies in the U.S. and 50,000 babies in Texas lost their lives to abortion last year.
    • U.S. birth rate is at a record low.
  • 1 in 11 women who take abortion pills experience a serious adverse event like hemorrhaging, sepsis or an incomplete abortion. Many end up in the ER.
  • Mail-order access and shield laws in pro-abortion states that protect illegal pill providers undermine pro-life laws like our abortion ban in Texas.
  • Widespread availability of abortion pills means abusers can coerce women to take the dangerous pills.
  • Planned Parenthood could regain eligibility to receive hundreds of millions in taxpayer funding this July 4.
  • The FDA must take action now to remove chemical abortion pills from the market or, at a minimum, reinstate the in-person doctor visit and dispensing requirements to get the pills out of the mail.

 

(See Council for Life News for detailed reporting on victories and challenges of the post-Roe era over the past four years.)

 

Looking Ahead

The past four years have reminded us that laws and legal rulings at the federal and state level matter. We must continue to seek increased legal protections for babies in the womb and other pro-life policies.

But our post-Roe reality also reminds us that protecting life goes far beyond the judiciary and the legislature.

As we anticipate the 250th birthday of America in just 10 days, our country is abysmally failing to honor the Right to Life of preborn babies clearly espoused by our Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence.

We must:

  • transform hearts and minds to recognize the inestimable dignity and worth of life in the womb and all God’s image bearers.
  • keep educating about the humanity of the unborn child, the vast resources available to women facing unplanned pregnancies and the horror and harm of abortion.
  • provide women facing unplanned pregnancies, desperate and devoid of support and hope, access to vital resources both during and after their pregnancies.
  • encourage and equip fathers to responsibly come alongside their partners to bravely choose life for their babies.
  • pray without ceasing.

 

Get Involved

Please join us for CFL’s Celebrating Life Luncheon on Thursday, October 29, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. Our Luncheon raises critical funds to support the lifesaving work of our 33 outstanding 2026 Beneficiaries. We are thrilled to welcome Tim Tebow as we celebrate Council for Life’s 25th Anniversary and A Legacy of Love and Life.

 

Thank you for helping Council for Life create a future where abortion is unthinkable.

With gratitude,

Council for Life