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THE WAY FORWARD AFTER ROE

Our ultimate goal after Roe? An America where life is not only protected but also cherished.

For life to be cherished the hearts and minds of Americans towards abortion must change. Until that day — which we’ve seen great progress towards — states need to protect life through the passing of pro-life policies and laws.

Building Layers of Protection

At the core of a pro-life state’s laws, abortion must be prevented and the life, safety, and health of all babies and mothers protected. Other pro-life policies and laws may only indirectly apply to the unborn child but are vital because they create layers of protection through the support of families, healthcare workers, and faith-based organizations. Only when all layers of protection are in place will families thrive, and life be cherished.

Featured below are the kinds of policies — divided into three categories — your state will need to have in place after Roe for there to be strong layers of protection for life moving forward. The examples we share here are not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a general model to strive for that supports thriving babies, families, and communities in your area. Your state may have some or even many of these protections already in place, or it may have few protections at all — either way, there is always more that can be done.

Every state – even the most pro-life – needs people to stand for life. Will you be one of them?

GET YOUR PERSONAL PRO-LIFE PROFILE

Now that Roe's fate has been decided, your state can take steps to help cherish the life of children in the womb; their mothers and fathers; and the community around them. Keep reading to learn about ways to advance life for each of these groups!

How We Get There

Protecting Children & Preventing Abortion

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Promoting Thriving
Families

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Pursuing a Community Where Life is Cherished

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Protecting Children & Preventing Abortion

Policies that safeguard unborn babies and reflect their full humanity.

These are laws and policies that protect life at every stage of its development, especially focusing on unborn children. States should recognize a baby in the womb as deserving of all the same rights and protections as people outside the womb. Whether a state already had robust protections for the unborn before Roe, which would go back into effect in an after-Roe world, or has a tough road ahead to make the full humanity of each unborn child recognized by state law, achieving this will provide the most robust protections for babies in the womb.

  • These laws and policies make abortions difficult to procure or perform.
  • At their strongest, these laws may include a total or near-total abortion ban, such as a “trigger law” (a total abortion ban that would go into effect after Roe is overturned) or a “heartbeat law” (which prohibits abortions after a baby’s heartbeat is detected, around 6 weeks into a pregnancy).
  • States can also establish common-sense restrictions on harmful drugs that induce an abortion (known as chemical abortion), such as requiring an in-person physician consultation before prescribing the drug. States should pair this with enabling easy access to medication that can reverse chemical abortions.
  • “Safe Haven” laws, which ideally allow women to leave their unharmed newborns in the care of first responders and other medical professionals without facing criminal penalties, also fall into this category.
  • Finally, laws in this category protect our young people by keeping pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood out of our schools, such as for teaching “comprehensive sex ed” materials.

States vary widely in their stances on abortion, and after Roe that will continue to be the case. The map at the bottom of the page shows the degree to which your state would regulate abortion after Roe. Click on your state to get more state-specific details.  Go to Map

Promoting Thriving Families

Policies that care for both parents and children, before and after birth.

As we strive to protect babies, we must also consider how we can support their parents and families. That’s why these laws aim to foster a nation where families thrive. From supporting expectant moms to streamlining the adoption process, states with these laws are not only stopping abortion, but fully promoting an America that cherishes life.

  • To protect mothers – above and beyond protecting them from the dangers and tragedy of abortion – a state might pass laws prohibiting abortionists from performing abortions unless the mother has given her consent after being fully medically informed about her unborn child and the abortion procedure.
  • States can also pursue laws that protect vital pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) from government targeting and coercion. Without these important laws, governments have targeted PRCs by, for example, forcing them to refer to abortion clinics or post signs that they do not perform medical services (simply because they do not perform abortions).
  • To protect children after they are born, a state might reform and streamline the adoption process to make it less costly and simpler, and to ensure that every mother knows her child can grow up in a safe and healthy home.
  • To help children in the foster care system, states can pursue policies to ensure that those who need placement are placed in good families, that faith-based adoption and foster care organizations are free to abide by their sincerely held beliefs, and that children are not taken away from their parents and put into foster care because of their sincerely held beliefs.
  • To promote thriving families even further, a state may take steps to protect the rights of parents. For example, a state may pass a law requiring the consent of both parents before their minor child can have an abortion.
  • A state may also pursue policies that respect the parental rights of the unborn child’s father, such as a law allowing him to sue an abortionist who violates abortion bans and restrictions.

Through these provisions, a state’s laws will strengthen the family and affirm the dignity of the unborn child.

Every state will be different in how it chooses to help families thrive, now and after Roe. The important part? Simply that families are thriving.  Learn where your state stands.

Pursuing a Community Where Life is Cherished

Policies that protect conscience rights and ensure government accountability to citizens.

Ultimately, we believe that advancing life means not only protecting infants and supporting their families but creating a nation of communities where life is cherished. These policies ensure that the government is accountable to the public for any abortions it permits or even supports in its state, and that the rights of citizens are protected.

  • For example, a state may pass a law requiring abortion clinics to report detailed statistics on the abortion procedures they conduct.
  • Citizens also have the right to ensure their hard-earned tax dollars are not spent on activities that violate their beliefs, such as abortions and abortifacient drugs. Lawmakers should be accountable to the public to protect citizens’ rights that are “endowed by their Creator.”
  • Examples of these policies include rules preventing municipalities from cutting sweetheart deals for or extending special privileges to abortion providers for things such as rent.
  • It also includes tax laws ensuring no one’s tax dollars are used to fund abortion against their wishes.
  • This category also encompasses regulations requiring the appropriate disposal of the fetal remains of aborted babies, as well as issuing death certificates for miscarried or stillborn babies, and other such laws that affirm the full humanity and dignity of the unborn.
  • Accountability can go even further. It is also about protecting citizens’ right not to be forced, even up to the cost of their livelihoods, to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. An example of this would be a law enabling healthcare workers to refuse to participate in abortion procedures, procedures that will lead to an abortion, or dispense prescriptions that can lead to an abortion, without experiencing reprisals from their employers.

In the broad area of community and society, it is critical to cherish life now and after Roe. There are many ways to do this – and some may be very unique to your state!

THE END GOAL: a nation where life is cherished at every stage.

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