We're not even halfway through the year yet, and state legislatures have already introduced over 500 pro-life laws. So far, 61 laws have been passed across 13 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which was once associated with Planned Parenthood as their research arm and often tracks such legislation. We may have the most pro-abortion administration in our nation's history in President Joe Biden, and a Democratic controlled Congress, which won't even consider legislation protecting babies born alive from failed abortions. Such legislation previously failed in the Senate, thanks to pro-abortion Democrats. That being said, the states are at least not letting the pro-life movement, and more importantly, the unborn, down.
This legislation has the pro-abortion movement, however, terrified. As it should. The Guttmacher Institute, which tracks such legislation, noted that "If this trend continues, 2021 will end up as the most damaging antiabortion state legislative session in a decade—and perhaps ever," as part of a press release. In all honesty, the Guttmacher Institute is an invaluable source on abortion legislation trends.
Since January, there have been 536 abortion restrictions—including 146 abortion bans—introduced across 46 states.
— Guttmacher Institute (@Guttmacher) April 30, 2021
A whopping 61 of those restrictions have been enacted across 13 states, including 8 bans. #StopTheBans
If the trend we’ve seen over the past few months continues, 2021 will end up as the most damaging anti-abortion state legislative session in a decade—and perhaps ever.
— Guttmacher Institute (@Guttmacher) April 30, 2021
More on the damage done this year so far from @ElizNash & @LarnCross:https://t.co/wdRJRbtl2T
Between April 26 and April 29, 28 new restrictions were signed into law in 7 states — almost half (46%) of the restrictions passed so far in 2021. This was the highest number of new restrictions signed in a single week in at least a decade. https://t.co/TBtOdk3Ira
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) April 30, 2021
It's not merely the pro-abortion movement--running quite scared--which is taking notice.
Kristi Hamrick, the Chief Media and Policy Strategist of Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action weighed in for Townhall.
"The Planned Parenthood founded pro-abortion think tank seems quite upset by Corporate Abortion’s inability to block all pro-life laws in court. But the fact is abortion through all 9 months for any reason or no reason at all is not what people want. These laws show that the American people don’t want the abortion radicalism that Planned Parenthood is selling," she told Townhall.
Dr. Michael New, a research associate at the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America and an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, also weighed in, about "Guttmacher's recent report which shows the impressive progress that pro-lifers are making at the state level." He went into detail to explain for Townhall:
According to Guttmacher, 61 pieces of pro-life legislation have been enacted this year. Thirteen states have enacted at least one pro-life law and eight state have passed some kind of gestational age limit.
There are three important lessons that pro-lifers can learn from this.
1) Pro-lifers can make impressive progress at the state level during Democratic Presidential administrations.
During the Clinton administration approximately 12 state level pro-life parental involvement laws took effect and 11 states passed Casey-styled informed consent laws. During the Obama administration over 400 state-level pro-life laws were enacted. Pro-lifers have shrewdly used court decisions like Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Gonzalez v. Carhart to advance their cause
2) The success that Republicans have enjoyed at the state and local level has made it much easier to pass protections for unborn children.
Currently, Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature in 30 states and possess unified control of government in 23 states. In fact, As recently as 1990, Republican controlled both chambers of the state legislature in only five states. As such, the investments that pro-lifers have made in local elections is certainly paying impressive dividends.
3) In many blue states, pro-lifers are playing good defense.
Guttmacher Institute policy analyses often highlight states that have expanded access to abortion. However, social liberals and supporters of legal abortion and have enjoyed little success. Efforts to repeal the pro-life parental involvement law in Illinois remain stalled. Thus far, the New Jersey state legislature has been unable to pass the Reproductive Freedom Act. Finally, In April, pro-lifers defeated a bill to legalized assisted suicide in Connecticut.
No matter which party may be in control of the White House or Congress, it appears life is winning.
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