If we, as a pro-life community, are truly concerned and considerate of life from “Womb to Tomb,” it is incumbent upon us to not only fight legislative and judicial battles but take care of the moms who need us most.
We can’t afford to rely on a politician’s political preferences or a judge’s judicial philosophy to rescue moms and babies facing crisis pregnancies. It is our job as individuals to do more—to step up financial and emotionally—if we expect to end abortion.
Earlier this month, the pro-life community secured what many see as a victory with the passage of the fetal heartbeat bill in Texas. The bill, which went into effect on September 1st, bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected.
While the heartbeat law in the Lone Star state is a step in the right direction legislatively, it is important that the pro-life community understands that it is not the end to our fight, but only the beginning.
The demand for abortions will not decrease just because we have outlawed them. The supply may shrink, which is undoubtedly a good thing, but we cannot hope to eradicate abortion primarily through legislation, no matter how far it goes to limit the ability to obtain an abortion. Without support, women that are facing unplanned pregnancies will still find ways to have abortions.
At Let Them Live, we cancel abortions by addressing the financial and emotional desperation that often leads women to choose abortion. We are already seeing a groundswell of resources available to Texas women so that they can travel out of state, and abortive drugs are more readily available to Texans on the black market than ever before.
Whether it is through online ordering of abortion pills or out of state travel to “abortion sanctuaries”, women in desperate situations will take desperate measures. But, when we directly address the driving factors that lead women to seek abortions in the first place, they simply don’t. No law can convince these moms to choose life—only love.
While legislation and Supreme Court challenges will protect many unborn lives, we must do everything in our power to encourage scared mothers to choose life for their children regardless of the availability to get one in their state. When we focus on listening and loving women while they are contemplating abortion, we offer them something that no law can—the love, resources and reassurance needed to save them and their baby.
Olivia Sky is one of the mothers we helped, and her son Stone is one of these children. After a relationship with famous rapper Bow Wow, she was encouraged by many to abort their baby. In her recently released documentary, she shares that she did not know if “she could be a mom” given the intense pressure she faced to terminate her pregnancy.
It was only when a community of volunteers and donors came together that she was able to tackle the challenge of motherhood and confidently choose life for her now 1-year-old son. However, while Olivia was able to find Let Them Live, hundreds of thousands of women facing similar situations throughout the United States lack this chance.
Slogans and marches increase visibility, but often do not lead to real change. Fighting bills like the ones introduced in Virginia—that sought to liberalize abortions—is necessary, but often fails to move the needle with the thousands of real moms that are facing crisis pregnancies. Our movement often fails these moms and their babies by staying laser focused and expending too many of our community’s resources on legislation alone. We must do more.
A terrified new mom like Olivia who is on her way to Planned Parenthood doesn’t care about the laws, or what politicians and judges think about abortion. She has been told by her community, family, and often the father of her child that she must “take care of this” before it “becomes a child.”
She has been pressured financially, emotionally, and sometimes even physically to have this abortion that she knows she doesn’t want. And sadly, her desperate situation isn’t a rarity. In fact, it is often the norm. While this fact can leave many in the pro-life movement feeling helpless, it should also embolden us to do more. If we truly hate abortion, we must sacrifice to save lives. Voting in elections and posting our thoughts to Facebook is not a sacrifice. We must do more.
We need to be there at the exact moment that mom is deciding what to do, to tell her that they are already a child, that we love her and her child, and that she is no longer alone.
As we continue to fight the battle for life in the courthouse and on the House floor, we must always remember that the immediate battle is not happening in a marble lined government building, but in the living rooms of real people struggling and terrified. It is there that we can create lasting change.
As a pro-life community, we must work tirelessly to ensure that someday every mom like Olivia knows she has a real choice. That she can choose life regardless of what any law may allow. The standard we set must be the most loving and generous one possible. Only then will we end abortion.
Nathan Berning is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Let Them Live, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to saving lives from abortion by financially helping women in crisis pregnancies. Prior to starting Let Them Live, Nathan worked on Dr. Carson’s Digital team in the 2016 Presidential Election. Nathan then went on to work as a Field Representative and Regional Field Coordinator for the Leadership Institute.