...”Work” from page 67 And so as to leave no doubt about the kind of laws and state interests they had in mind, the majority made a list of examples: “These legitimate interests include respect for and preservation of prenatal life at all stages of development… the protection of maternal health and safety; the elimination of particularly gruesome or barbaric medical procedures; the preservation of the integrity of the medical profession; the mitigation of fetal pain; and the prevention of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, or disability.” Those familiar with pro-life legislative history will recognize that this list includes the types of laws that have been passed by legislatures and sometimes struck down by courts and at other times upheld. Now that the 2022 midterm elections have been held and the Congress and state legislatures are beginning their work for the year, it’s game time for the pro-life movement. Much of the work we need to do is the same work we’ve done for decades, as we lobby, persuade, and support our pro-life lawmakers. The difference, with Roe out of the way, is that now our work will bear more fruit. Courts will not be poised to automatically strike down pro-life laws because of an imagined “Constitutional right to abortion.” And those who argue against our pro-life position and laws are going to have to change their strategy. For decades, they simply hid behind the robes of the Justices. They didn’t have to make their case, on its merits, as to why they think it’s a good thing to abort babies. Many pro-abortion lawmakers were all too content to say that the Court took the issue out of their hands. In that way, they could vote in a pro-abortion way and tell the voters not to hold it against them. Now all this has changed. When we persuade people, through the latest scientific knowledge we have about the unborn child, that these children are fully human and should be protected, we will now be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. When we bring forward the mounting evidence of how abortion harms women and families, that evidence will be able to have its proper legislative impact. The children and their families will be protected, as has already happened in many states, even from the onset of pregnancy. “You have more power to protect the children in the womb in 2023 than you have had for fifty years.” Fr. Frank Pavone WWW.PRO.LIFE | 1 (800) 858-3040 | 919 S. MAIN ST, SNOWFLAKE, AZ 85937 68
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