A Year of Pro-Life Persecution
By Emily Huseman
The year 2022 will forever be documented in history books as the year that Roe v. Wade was overturned. Although this was a huge victory for life, it would be a fairytale falsehood if the history books simply described the days following the overturn of Roe as “happily ever after.” Along with the victory and celebration, pro-life supporters endured severe backlash and violence from many abortion supporters. As a new year approaches, it would be amiss if the persecution endured by those who boldly defended the lives of the unborn was not reflected on and remembered.
Crisis pregnancy centers, pro-life organizations, and churches endured the brink of this violence after the Opinion that reversed Roe was leaked from the Court. In a list published this past November by the Family Research Council, it was found that more than 100 churches and pro-life organizations have been attacked. These attacks included throwing red paint and eggs on the doors of the Capitol Hill crisis pregnancy center in Washington, D.C., and bashing the windows of a crisis pregnancy center in Virginia. In Wisconsin, a Molotov cocktail was thrown into a pro-life organization with a spray-painted threat outside that read, “if abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either.” Despite these attacks being severe and widespread, the FBI has yet to arrest anyone involved in these crimes. On the other hand, the FBI did make it a priority to raid a 73-year-old pro-life man’s home armed after he attended a peaceful protest outside an abortion facility.
The irony in pro-life persecution is the Left’s belief that it is the party of love and tolerance while it physically and verbally attacks pro-life supporters they view as “hateful.” This irony was not a new occurrence when Roe was overturned; it just became more extreme. Individuals who shared pro-life posts on social media were verbally attacked, physically threatened, and even received messages from pro-abortion supporters who wrote that they wished pro-life women would experience miscarriages or sexual abuse. Family members became hostile, friendships were ended, and social media pages were blocked all in response to those who voiced their anti-abortion views.
Hardly any other political issue receives the same amount of vile backlash, yet there are hardly any other issues that hold more moral sensitivity and implication than abortion. After all, abortion directly impacts human life. If an abortion is unsuccessful, the child in the womb lives. If the abortion is successful, the child in the womb’s life is ended. While abortion supporters don’t believe unborn life is worthy of being protected, they cannot deny the overwhelming evidence that the fetus is a life, and the only thing that life can ever become, if not aborted, is a person. If there was any question or potential that an act ended a human life, wouldn’t it be logical and ethical to stop doing it? Instead of considering the immorality of terminating a pregnancy, abortion extremists resort to violence when people reject the violence of abortion.
The pro-life generation has remained undaunted amongst the threats and pushback. Pro-life activist Lila Rose tweeted, “Their threats will not win. The pro-life movement is stronger than ever.” Throughout this year, pro-life organizations, churches, and pregnancy centers have remained steadfast in their mission to serve, love, and care for mothers and their children without gaining any benefits themselves. Young men and women have not allowed vicious comments to scare them away from expressing their pro-life views or waver in their beliefs. The resilient courage, kindness, and tenacity of the pro-life generation continues to shine like a bright light amongst the dark, unruly opposition from abortion advocates. No matter how hard pro-abortionists try to dim this light, it is one that will shine boldly and unscathed for years to come.
Emily Huseman is a columnist for The Conservateur and works with the Standing for Freedom Center at Liberty University.
Media via @MarchForLife
