ALEX COREN: How to Vote for Life

In June of 2022, Roe V Wade had been overturned by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision, which was a monumental victory for the pro-life movement. Roe V Wade was instated by the Supreme Court in 1973, which granted the right of people to be able to obtain an abortion on a federal level rather than on a state level. However, after almost 50 years of that ruling being instated, it was reversed, allowing for the issue of abortion to be decided on a state level instead of on a federal level. Therefore, states now have the full right to impose restrictions or even entirely ban abortion if the people and the state legislatures agree that it is beneficial for the citizens of the state to do so. Ballot measures are being instated as well, which allow people to decide whether abortion should or should not be legal within the state.

Some states, such as Kansas, have extended the initiative for citizens to decide whether abortion will stay legal within the state's constitution or be removed as a state constitutional right. On August 2nd, 2022, the state of Kansas would vote to decide whether abortion would or would not be protected under the state's constitution. However, the majority of people from the state of Kansas voted in favor of allowing for a constitutional right to an abortion within the state. Although the ruling was a loss for the Conservative/pro-life movement, the state of Kansas can still elect pro-life representatives in the state legislature, which would allow for abortion to be restricted within the state. As a result, it is crucial to elect pro-life representatives on the state level since they will impose more restrictions on abortion while they're serving in the state legislature. 

According to Ballotpedia: In the state of Florida, there will be a ballot measure to decide whether abortion will be protected within the state's constitution before 24 weeks, which is deemed to be before fetal viability, or when it comes down to cases such as incest, rape, or the mother's life is at stake. With these exceptions in place, the bill seems to reach a middle ground, making it more appealing to moderates. However, no matter the outcome of the referendum, the Florida state legislature is predominantly red in both the state senate as well as the state house; referendums can still be decided on the state level, such as restrictions on the issue of abortion. As of May 1st, 2024, abortions after six weeks are now illegal in the state of Florida unless it's for cases of rape, incest, or human trafficking, in which case you are granted up to 15 weeks to be able to obtain an Abortion. As a result, the ruling out of the state of Florida was a step in the right direction for the Pro-life movement since the Florida legislation has decided that a 6-week abortion ban would be proficient enough to protect the lives of unborn babies. 

When it comes down to voting on the issue of abortion, the American people should bring their attention to the state level more than the federal level on the issue of abortion since the U.S. House and Senate, as well as the President, do not solely decide whether abortion should be legal or illegal. However, the only issue that the House and Senate have to decide upon regarding abortion is the federal funding for the Health Department since they usually give a percentage of their revenue from the US government to Planned Parenthood, which funds free Abortions.  According to the US Health Department: "HHS proposes $130.7 billion in discretionary and $1.7 trillion in mandatory proposed budget authority for FY 2025." Therefore, the House and Senate usually agree upon giving the health department over $1 Trillion, which is then partially passed down to Planned Parenthood. Between 2014 and 2015, Planned Parenthood received 43 percent of its total annual revenue from the US Health Department, which was about $553.7 million out of $1.29 Billion USD of their total revenue. - USA Facts. Therefore, the American people need to put pressure on our conservative legislatures to not fold and allow for US taxpayer money to be spent on Planned Parenthood, which covers free abortions. With that being said, the US federal government is not the sole authority of restrictions on abortion. Instead, that is more greatly affected by the governor of each state and your state representatives.

On November 5th, 2024, the American people must understand that the legality of abortion has less to do with the presidency or federal congress, and instead, more to do with your state legislatures who vote on restrictions for the legality of abortion within your state. Therefore, it is essential to campaign for your state senate candidates as well as state house candidates who will better represent Pro-Life interests and are committed to protecting and fighting for the unborn. 

Editors' Note: The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pro Life Journal or its staff.