We are winning the war against abortion in America on all measurable fronts
You may (or may not!) have noticed I’ve been out-of-pocket a few days. I was in Dublin, Ireland, where I was asked to speak at the National Convention for Life 2014 on April 12.
The daylong event was more than sold out. Many came who hadn’t registered, and although there were dozens of chairs added, some of the 600 800 attendees still had to stand.
The life issue is huge in Ireland, which was abortion free until the tragic death in 2012 of Savita Halappanavar and her 17-wk-old baby, which abortion zealots exploited and lied about to push through a law legalizing abortion for medical emergencies and suicidal ideation last year.
In that light, NCFL organizers asked me to encourage our Irish counterparts by describing how we are winning the war against abortion in America. You can view my speech here, but I thought I’d post the statistics I showed – many compiled by abortion proponents – demonstrating that we are indeed prevailing in just about every measurable way. Click all slides to enlarge.
1) The kitchen sink
First, the January 2013 Time magazine cover, certainly not considered a pro-life mouthpiece, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade…
2) Surge in pro-life state laws passed
As Guttmacher indicates, there has been a huge spike in the passage of state pro-life laws since 2010, when Republicans took control of a majority of state legislatures.
2011: Highest number passed in a single year since Roe: 92
2012: Third highest ever: 43
2013: Second highest ever: 70
3) Another view of the “hostile” change in the abortion landscape over the past decade, via Guttmacher…
4) Number of surgical and medical abortions down
Bear in mind that the population of the U.S. grew from 200 million in 1970 to 300 million in 2011, meaning more women are having fewer abortions.
5) Rate of surgical and medical abortions down
6) Number of clinics down
7) Polls swinging toward life
Finally, the America public is turning against abortion. In 2009, for the first time, a majority of Americans (51%) said they were pro-life. Since then, six of nine Gallup polls have been won by our side. In 2102, the lowest number of Americans ever (41%) said they were pro-choice.
So, in terms of laws passed, the declining number and rate of abortions, the plummeting number of abortion clinics, and public opinion, the pro-life side is winning.
But this is no excuse to let up. It is a call to press harder.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.