47 Years, 59 Million Lives Lost

Grand Rapids, MI — January 22 is the 47th memorial of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which legalized abortion through all nine months of pregnancy for any reason. Since these decisions in 1973, abortion has taken the lives of more than 59 million children in the United States.

Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, “Each year that the violence of abortion remains legal is a new tragedy with hundreds of thousands of lives being lost. We will continue our efforts to ensure that every human life is protected under law.”

As prolife people remember the millions of lives lost through abortion, they continue to hope for a time when this injustice is in the past.

Last year there were several steps made towards the goal of protecting life.

The Trump Administration updated Title X family planning funding rules, redirecting $60 million of taxpayer funding away from Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country.

In Michigan, 379,419 signatures were submitted to initiate legislation to end the violent late-term dismemberment abortion procedure. Once the Michigan Bureau of Elections has reviewed the signatures, the legislation can be passed through the Michigan Legislature and become law without the need for a governor’s signature.

The upcoming year holds many reasons for hope as well. In March 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case June Medical Services LLC v. Gee, a case involving a Louisiana law requiring abortionists to obtain admitting privileges at local hospitals. This will be the first case involving a prolife law that the court has heard since Justice Brett Kavanaugh was nominated in October 2018. Right to Life of Michigan has filed an amicus curiae brief asking the court to revisit Roe v. Wade.

Listing said, “After 47 years of legal killing in the U.S., revisiting the court cases that made it legal is long overdue.”

Hundreds of thousands of prolife individuals will take part in the annual March for Life on the streets of Washington, D.C. on January 24. Right to Life of Michigan affiliates will take 20 buses and more than 1,000 people to attend the March. Many Right to Life of Michigan affiliates have hosted local events to remember the 59 million lives lost and honor Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on January 19.

For more information: Right to Life of Michigan Director of Communication/Education, (616) 532-2300, [email protected].

Background Information:
Abortions Since Roe v. Wade
U.S. Supreme Court cases involving abortion
RLM’s amicus curiae brief in June v. Gee
End dismemberment petition drive

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