(RNS) — We don’t hear much about the pro-life movement that existed before Roe v. Wade. For anyone who wants to know about these roots of the movement, Daniel K. Williams’ excellent 2016 book on the topic is a must-read. Back then, he points out, anti-abortion activists didn’t belong to any political “side”: They were an eclectic mix of folks, including a significant number from the progressive left. Indeed, some pro-lifers attended anti-Vietnam War protests one weekend and anti-abortion protests at a statehouse where legislation was being considered the next.
With the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, a new version of the movement slowly came into being. As the Republican Party of the time presented itself as the party of prenatal justice, the Democrats became hostile, and those who opposed abortion were drawn into a new coalition of strange bedfellows with pro-war neoconservative hawks and small-government libertarians.
This reality has persisted for more than 40 years, such that many reading these words may not be able to conceive things any other way. It has also drawn charges of hypocrisy: How can a group that claims to be for nonviolence in the womb be so comfortable with violence in war? How can a group that claims to want to save babies’ lives not support social programs supporting women and families after babies are born?
With the elections of Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024, however, the old coalition of the right was destroyed. Pro-war neoconservative hawks and small-government libertarians were out, replaced by anti-war populists who were much more comfortable with social programs focused on strengthening the family. In Trump’s first term, then-Sen. Marco Rubio worked with Ivanka Trump on paid family leave proposals. On the campaign trail, Vice President JD Vance suggested raising the child tax credit to $5,000.
Combined with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe, a new state-focused fight for prenatal justice and a pro-life hero like Vance being elected vice president, a sea change has come to the pro-life movement.
March for Life attendees listen as Vice President JD Vance addresses the rally, Jan. 24, 2025, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (RNS photo/Aleja Hertzler-McCain)
In his speech at the March for Life on Friday (Jan. 24), Vance formally kicked off this new era, telling the crowd on the National Mall, “Now the task of our movement is to protect innocent life,” adding, “It’s also to be pro-family and pro-life in the fullest sense of that word possible.” He continued:
“Now, across my own lifetime, I can’t tell you the number of friends and other acquaintances I’ve had who, facing a pregnancy or the prospect of one, react not with joy but with concern. They wonder how can they afford it; what will it mean for their education, their career, their relationship or their family?”
And what should our response be? Anyone who has paid attention to Vance’s views over the years knows that he’s set up perfectly to lead this new movement, especially given his support for social programs that empower the creation of strong families, as he made clear in his March for Life address:
“Now, it should be easier to raise a family, easier to find a good job, easier to build a home to raise that family in, easier to save up and purchase a good stroller, a crib for a nursery. We need a culture that celebrates life at all stages, one that recognizes and truly believes that the benchmark of national success is not our GDP number or our stock market, but whether people feel that they can raise thriving and healthy families in our country.”
If you are stuck in a mindset formed between 1980 and 2016, in which the pro-life movement is beholden to small-government libertarians looking to reward big business and let women and families fend for themselves, it’s time to get unstuck. Vance has already taken up Elizabeth Breunig’s proposal to “Make Birth Free”—a proposal strongly supported by much of the pro-life movement, including by the influential group Americans United for Life.
We are also likely to see serious proposals related to child care support, paid family leave, massive child tax credits and more.
In a post on X, the Heritage Foundation’s Roger Severino said, “If you listen closely to his speech, VP Vance hit on a theme that we will likely see throughout the Trump presidency. The future of Life policy lies in Family policy.”
Pro-life 3.0 is here. Get used to it.