- Ahead of the 50th annual March for Life, medical professionals told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the next step for the pro-life movement must focus on the culture of “pro-death” healthcare pushed by abortion advocates.
- After the Biden administration and the FDA announced that chemical abortions were going to be available via pharmacies without medical support from a doctor, pro-life advocates stated that healthcare became the new crisis for women in America and warned of the dangers of chemical abortions.
- What we are seeing is that medicine, in general, is moving in a more pro-death direction, especially when it comes to the beginning of life issues, so what we are trying to do is restore that respect for life within the practice of medicine,” Dr. Christina Francis, CEO-elect of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told the DCNF.
The 50th annual March for Life is marking the beginning of a new phase for the pro-life movement, and healthcare workers and pro-life advocates say the medical field and “pro-death” healthcare is the new battleground post-Roe v. Wade.
The 2023 March for Life, entitled “Marching Into A Post-Roe America,” is setting the stage for the next phase, starting with a new route from the National Mall in Washington D.C. to the Capitol building as pro-life leaders turn the focus from the Supreme Court after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center decision. March for Life brought a host of speakers and guests this year, and despite the achievement after Dobbs, many stressed the significance of pushing back against the healthcare system that has traditionally fought for abortion access, according to medical professionals and advocates that spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation. (RELATED: Ahead Of The 50th Anniversary of Roe, 61% Of Americans Identify As Pro-Choice: POLL)
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who argued in front of the Supreme Court in support of Dobbs, told the DCNF that it was an “honor” to represent pro-life Americans at the Supreme Court and that there were “great opportunities ahead.”
“When we argued our case, we argued to empower women and promote life and we asked the justices to give us that job and I believe the American people are ready to do that,” Fitch said. “And with that comes to some great responsibilities.”
In keeping with the march’s theme, medical professionals and advocates told the DCNF that healthcare must be one of the priorities for pro-lifers after the FDA and the Biden administration announced earlier this month that pharmacies could prescribe and dispense chemical abortion pills without the referral of a doctor or ultrasound.
Dr. Ingrid Skop told DCNF that the cost of such decisions by the FDA is high, and explained that she had just treated a woman who had flown to California to obtain a chemical abortion before going to the hospital after it went wrong.
“So many people thought we would never get here, but we are entering a new stage, the battle is not over and the battleground has shifted,” Skop said. “Chemical abortions are one of the things we are having to fight and I am seeing women being hurt by chemical abortion pills.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 21: Anti-abortion activists march duringthe 49th annual March for Life rally on the National Mall on January 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. The rally draws activists from around the country who are calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Dr. Christina Francis, CEO-elect of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, acknowledged the excitement stemming from the overturn of Roe but echoed Skop’s concerns for the future.
“We really see the overturn of Roe as the closing of one chapter and now we have the rest of the book,” Francis noted. “What we are seeing is that medicine, in general, is moving in a more pro-death direction, especially when it comes to the beginning of life issues, so what we are trying to do is restore that respect for life within the practice of medicine.”
Skop said that the march was now about supporting the women who will be targeted by decisions like the FDA’s, stating that the argument that women need abortion to succeed is simply false and pointed out that often women are left completely in the dark about the emotional and physical trauma of abortion.
“One of the things we are seeing is in so many ways abortion is hurting women more and more,” Skop told DCNF. “They deliver their immature child in the toilet and that child is easily distinguishable as a human being, so what are the emotional ramifications of that in the future?”
Chris Faddis, president of Solidarity Healthshare, said the pro-life cause goes beyond Roe and pointed out that healthcare should “always be life-affirming.”
“It’s time to promote life-affirming healthcare, and it should always be respectful and restoring life to people,” Faddis said. “This is the time for us to come together because this isn’t just about Roe, this is about establishing life-affirming healthcare across the country and making sure that they can get that kind of care when they need it.”
Jeanne Mancine, president of the March for Life, told the DCNF that the march continues to remind people that there is still work to do and that the pro-life movement will not rest until the “human rights” issue of abortion is conquered once and for all.
“The bottom line is our work isn’t done yet, we can celebrate this momentous occasion, but we’re still going to see well over 700,000 abortions in the year ahead in our country and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Mancine stated.
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