For a year, candidates running for offices across our nation strategized how to win their elections. While charisma and previous experience were contributors to their success, their policy stances outweighed every other attribute. Prospective representatives and senators had a wealth of issues to choose from but one that some Republicans had to give an answer for was the right to life.
The concept of life is weaved throughout every tenet within the GOP Platform. From conception to natural death, Republicans are expected to uphold this basic freedom that is endowed by our Creator and affirmed by our Constitution. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, and we saw that play out during this year’s midterm elections.
The Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was a gift to our nation. Roe v. Wade was effectively overturned, allowing the states to regain their right to decide how abortion is regulated in their communities. This was a huge pro-life win, yet some Republican candidates used the ruling to ditch the issue altogether. They bought into the narrative that women were losing their “rights” and that taking a strong stance in favor would make them look like extremists. In order to appease pro-choice moderates, they watered down their messaging.
What these candidates did not understand is that life beginning at conception is not an extreme stance. Scientists around the world agree that at the moment of fertilization — when a sperm and egg unite — a human is formed with a unique set of DNA. That human is worthy of value no matter the circumstances of their creation. They deserve to have someone to speak forth their potential and advocate for their future.
Those politicians who are punting the life issue solely to the states are missing the point altogether. For fifty years, political leaders, organizations, and the grassroots put in the hard work to overturn Roe. They educated the public, provided resources to women with unplanned pregnancies, strengthened criminal laws on rape and abuse, elected pro-life leaders, held the abortion industry accountable for their corruption, and rallied for substantial policy changes on all levels of government. Not only do we get to reap the fruits of decades of hard labor, but we must also maintain what we have and reinvest it to yield much greater harvests. Yet, certain lawmakers are squandering their inheritance because their goals are too short-sighted.
In the Senate, Eagle Forum PAC endorsed candidates such as Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Senators-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Tedd Budd (R-NC) who are unapologetically pro-life. Despite their competitive races, each pulled ahead to victory. Why? Because they were unafraid to dream big and speak truth. They did not call themselves “pro-life” with exceptions. They stepped fully into the pro-life movement as fierce defenders of women and their babies no matter the circumstances. They recognized their role in protecting the preborn through legislation while supporting state sovereignty at the same time.
The Dobbs decision marked this election in ways both good and bad, but that tells us that more can be done. As long as abortion exists, every lawmaker has a role in making this act unthinkable. Life is never a losing issue.