Pavlich: Debunking common smear against pro-life movement

Over the past six months, the debate over abortion in America has made it to the forefront of the news cycle. 

In New York, the state assembly passed a law legalizing abortion up until the day of birth. It was signed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who then requested the One World Trade Center’s spire be lit up in pink to celebrate. 

In Alabama, lawmakers passed legislation banning abortion without exceptions for rape or incest. Exceptions are made if a mother’s life is threatened and for lethal fetal conditions. Georgia and Missouri passed and signed similar heartbeat bills with exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother and fatal fetal conditions.

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As the debate around the topic has heated up, a number of lies and smears have been hurled at the side attempting to protect babies in the womb. 

Hollywood actresses, super models and musicians have taken to their social media pages to angrily denounce the bills. They’ve also threatened boycotts and have encouraged companies to do the same. 

“Men shouldn’t be making laws about women’s bodies,” one meme stated. 

“Our reproductive rights are being erased. Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy. JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back. I’m calling for a #SexStrike. Pass it on,” actress Alyssa Milano, who is behind former Vice President Joe Biden’s flip on the Hyde Amendment, tweeted. 

First, this argument is illogical considering Roe v. Wade was decided 7-2 by an all-male Supreme Court. Second, it’s just not true. It is a smear of the pro-life movement, which is led by women. 

In Alabama, the governor who signed the new abortion law is Kay Ivey. 

“Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act. To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious & that every life is a sacred gift from God,” she said in a statement. 

The advocacy groups behind pro-life legislation and candidates are overwhelmingly led by and made up of women. 

Take for example the Susan B. Anthony List, which is run by SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser. The executive vice president, vice president of government affairs and chairman of the board are also women. SBA alone debunks the narrative that all women believe in and support abortion. 

“Unfortunately, many on the left use the abortion debate to divide women and demand conformity. They do this in the name of feminism,” former South Carolina governor and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said at SBA’s annual gala last week in Washington, D.C. “But that is not real feminism. The idea that women must adhere to a particular set of values is one of the most anti-women ideas in today’s culture. It is a rejection of the ideas of equality and tolerance that the women’s movement is supposed to be about.”

At the age of 15, Lila Rose founded the anti-abortion group Live Action and has been advocating abortion as a human rights issue ever since. 

“Live Action exists today to shift public opinion on the killing of preborn children and defend the rights of these most vulnerable among us,” Live Action’s mission statement says. “Through compelling educational media, human interest storytelling, and investigative reporting, we reveal the humanity of the preborn and expose the abortion industry exploiting women for profit.”

The March for Life, which brings hundreds of thousands of pro-life Americans to Washington, D.C., every year, is led by President Jeanne Mancini. The event was founded in 1973 after the Roe v. Wade decision. 

“The March for Life in Washington, D.C., began as a small demonstration and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world. The peaceful demonstration that has followed on this somber anniversary every year since 1973 is a witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, legalized abortion on demand,” their mission statement says. 

And finally before her death in 2017, the woman represented as “Roe” in Roe v. Wade regretted the Supreme Court’s decision and believed the ruling should be overturned.

“The former plaintiff known as ‘Jane Roe’ in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion sought to have the case overturned in a motion filed Tuesday that asks the courts to consider new evidence that abortion hurts women,” CBS News reported in 2003. “Norma McCorvey, who joined the anti-abortion fight nearly 10 years ago and says she regrets her role in Roe v. Wade, said the Supreme Court’s decision is no longer valid because scientific and anecdotal evidence that has come to light in the last 30 years has shown the negative effects of abortion.”

The pro-life movement is and has been led by women for decades. The history of the movement shows this, despite the current narrative about men “controlling” or making laws about women’s bodies.

Pavlich is the editor for Townhall.com and a Fox News contributor.