Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Center, the case which we all hope will overturn Roe v. Wade. Many others have touched on the details of the case, so I want to encourage you in another way - by sharing how pro-life advocates have been preparing for years, in hopeful expectation of Roe being overturned.
There are many grassroots organizations that get out on the ground and help families facing unexpected pregnancies. For the past few days, outside the Supreme Court, hundreds of students from the organization Students for Life have been standing vigil, praying. They’re being a witness for what is right, in contrast to abortion advocates who were photographed doing things as despicable as taking abortion pills in public and laughing about it. Students for Life has been preparing for 15 years for a post-Roe America, including training upwards of 130,000 students, starting door-to-door campaigns to educate women about abortion alternatives, and directly linking families to financial assistance. On a daily basis, they offer help on college campuses, reaching the largest demographic who seek abortions.
It’s incredibly discouraging to see the countless photos of abortion supporters at protests, but be encouraged that the media deliberately hides proof that the rising generation is actually more pro-life than ever!
In association with the organization 40 Days For Life, I helped organize a prayer vigil outside the abortion clinic in Huntsville. Multiple people came out and we prayed together for God to overturn Roe and end the evil of abortion. I was the only younger person present, and one of the elderly women confided in me that she finds it sad how few youth are pro-life. I encouraged her that such is not the case!
You may mostly see older generations standing outside abortion clinics or working at pregnancy resource centers because they are retired or married and have the time and stability to stand out there all day.
During 40 Days For Life’s recent fall prayer vigil, which lasted from Sept. 22 - Oct. 31th, and saw over 850 lives saved, 700 high school students marched in prayer around the biggest Planned Parenthood facility in the world, located in Texas.
Their passion is not a rarity. A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute actually shows that the number of pro-life laws passed in the last decade has spiked. In the decades following Roe, comparatively few abortion restrictions were passed, but as younger lawmakers have entered politics, there has been a rush of pro-life legislation, including over 500 bills introduced in 2021 alone.
With more propaganda than ever before (MY BODY, MY CHOICE!), why are the youth becoming pro-life?
First, when we are raised to treat science as god, if the scientific evidence grows, proving that unborn children are alive, young people are more inclined to believe these facts. Second, it’s much harder for the media to control what people see these days. There are countless videos about fetal development and childbirth on YouTube alone. Our generation is curious and it’s rare for me to meet someone who hasn’t encountered such a video and clicked on it, just for the novelty or gross factor. Finally, younger generations can be more emotionally driven, which means they’re more inclined to form decisions based on anecdotes and personal testimonies. This means if all the pro-choicers hang out together, they’ll never consider the other side, but it also means that if they actually meet a woman who regrets their abortion, or a victim of rape who’s kept their child, they are in turn more likely to listen.
From my point of view, I’ve actually thought that older folks don’t care much about abortion anymore. Sure, we bring it up at election time, but it’s really not in news or sermons much these days. My parents, and the older folks at my church, hadn’t even heard that the Supreme Court was about to hear the greatest challenge to Roe v. Wade in decades. Why? Twenty years ago, it’s all anyone would have been talking about for months. Now it trends for one day, and then we move on to more hot button topics like sexual identity and government mandates. In contrast, my friend group knew about the case and had been following it, albeit casually.
On the one hand, it’s entirely understandable that abortion feels like old news compared to other crises. On the other hand, it feels like an entire generation saw a loss at the federal level and just gave up the legal fight. I know I grew up assuming that Roe was untouchable because that’s how everyone acted. People shifted their focus to build adoption resources and local clinics, which are undoubtedly hugely needed! Today, pregnancy resource centers across the U.S. outnumber abortion clinics 3 to 1. I also know that folks like Eric Johnston of the Alabama Coalition for Life have worked behind the scenes for decades until they had the chance to introduce the Human Life Protection Act.
So by no means do I mean to point fingers or toot my own horn, but rather to show that different generations use different tactics, which can make us all feel like we’re missing the other. In reality, I have seen the most unity across generations when it comes to standing up for life!
Now is the time to pray. Now is the time to strengthen grassroots organizations that will help families once abortion is illegal. TX has spent $100 million to help women facing crisis pregnancies. Will Alabama? Now is the time for the church to emphasize how important it is to “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” (Is 1:16-17).
If it was Auschwitz right down the road, would you join me to pray?
Caylah Coffeen is a Millennial in Huntsville, AL who knows how to think and speaks up for the sake of truth and a future as bright as the stars. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com
