The Pro-Life Future

Let’s start with the good news. The American people have not made their peace with abortion and may even be inching in a pro-life direction. The latest Marist Poll showed that 37 percent of Americans still identify as pro-life, which is not thrilling given that roughly half the country was pro-life only a decade ago. Yet the complete picture gives real grounds for optimism. In the years since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, campaigns and interest groups have spent hundreds of millions on pro-choice messaging. Despite years of vilification, a formidable mass of pro-lifers have refused to budge. The movement has a remarkably stable core, and raw numbers are also misleading insofar as many people who now identify as “pro-choice” continue to support a range of pro-life goals, such as restrictions on late-term abortions and on mail-order abortion pills.

There are other encouraging data points, too. The pro-life movement seems to be regaining some momentum. A recent report from 19th News/SurveyMonkey, a left-leaning nonprofit that conducts online surveys on political issues, indicated that pro-lifers, for the first time since Dobbs, have reemerged as the more energized camp among Americans who view abortion as a priority. That’s a great relief after a few intense years in which the Democrats capitalized significantly on the post-Dobbs backlash. If that fury is now ebbing, pro-lifers may have a chance to regain their stride, especially given promising trends among young people, which really represent the best news of all. The latest Gallup data show a noteworthy uptick in the number of young adults (18–29) who identify as pro-life. The young also show increased support for restrictions on abortion. In the immediate aftermath of Dobbs, Zoomers appeared poised to become the most pro-choice generation in history, but that gap has effectively vanished in the space of just a few years. This should be a source of hope for pro-lifers. Young Americans are rethinking some things.

About the Author

Rachel Lu

Rachel Lu is an associate editor of Law & Liberty and a contributing writer at America magazine.

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Let’s start with the good news. The American people have not made their peace with abortion and may even be inching in a pro-life direction. The latest Marist Poll showed that 37 percent of Americans still identify as pro-life, which is not thrilling given that roughly half the country was pro-life only a decade ago. Yet the complete picture gives real grounds for optimism. In the years since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, campaigns and interest groups have spent hundreds of millions on pro-choice messaging. Despite years of vilification, a formidable mass of pro-lifers have refused to budge. The movement has a remarkably stable core, and raw numbers are also misleading insofar as many people who now identify as “pro-choice” continue to support a range of pro-life goals, such as restrictions on late-term abortions and on mail-order abortion pills.

There are other encouraging data points, too. The pro-life movement seems to be regaining some momentum. A recent report from 19th News/SurveyMonkey, a left-leaning nonprofit that conducts online surveys on political issues, indicated that pro-lifers, for the first time since Dobbs, have reemerged as the more energized camp among Americans who view abortion as a priority. That’s a great relief after a few intense years in which the Democrats capitalized significantly on the post-Dobbs backlash. If that fury is now ebbing, pro-lifers may have a chance to regain their stride, especially given promising trends among young people, which really represent the best news of all. The latest Gallup data show a noteworthy uptick in the number of young adults (18–29) who identify as pro-life. The young also show increased support for restrictions on abortion. In the immediate aftermath of Dobbs, Zoomers appeared poised to become the most pro-choice generation in history, but that gap has effectively vanished in the space of just a few years. This should be a source of hope for pro-lifers. Young Americans are rethinking some things.