This year, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These principles inspired men to sacrifice their lives and their sacred honor to birth this great American experiment, heralded even a few short decades ago as “a shining city on a hill.” America has and continues to reshape the course of human history.
The celebration of our founding beckons us to reflect upon and recommit to what unites us as Americans, the foundational values that transcend politics, the values that truly make us great. Short-sighted efforts to politicize this extraordinary occasion run counter to our fabric as a nation and weaken as opposed to strengthen us.
“To whom much is given, much is required,” Luke 12:48.
I am challenged, inspired and somewhat troubled at the thought that “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are interdependent, not independent. Each principle rests upon the other to secure a more perfect union and allow the human spirit to soar.
“Life”: The Reality of the Moment
Despite our capacity for good, this country has gotten it wrong on life, devaluing the vulnerable, which we see starkly magnified in the issue of abortion.
For the fourth consecutive year, a majority of Americans (51%) identify as “pro-choice,” while 43% say they are pro-life. The gender gap in pro-choice identity is at a historic high of 20 points, with 61% of women identifying as pro-choice, compared with 41% of men (GALLUP, May 2025). Troubling realities for sure.
Here in Michigan, abortion is legal through all nine months of pregnancy for any reason. Pro-abortion and pro-choice politicians desperate to mobilize their weary base will try to convince Michiganders this is not the case, that a so-called “right” to abortion is at stake this year, but it is not.
In our beloved state, the only remaining safeguards around abortion are parental consent for a minor seeking an abortion and ongoing limits on forcing taxpayers to fund elective abortions. Any and every safeguard for women undergoing abortions has been stripped from law – no more abortion clinic health and safety standards, no more informed consent and no complication reporting. Women now go in blind when it comes to abortion and simultaneously face unprecedented risks of harm themselves.
Beyond that, more than 60% of abortions are “chemical,” not surgical abortions, meaning they are from the abortion pill, readily available online and in clinics across the country. Reports show 1 in 10 women and girls who take the abortion pill have a serious medical event, with 40% of those ending in emergency room visits (Ethics & Public Policy Center, April 2025). Even if the Trump Administration, through the Food and Drug Administration, reinstitutes safeguards around the distribution and administration of the abortion pill, the availability of the dangerous drug will not wane anytime soon.
Despite the risks, the abortion lobby is suggesting abortion is an act of “love.” A blog by the National Women’s Law Center reads, “Abortion actually is love. Abortion actually is compassion. Abortion actually is healing. Abortion actually is selfless.”
This is a wrong that we owe to our country and future generations to right. To strengthen the fiber of our nation, we must correct how we view innocent human life and what we do to protect the most vulnerable.
Progress: The Year Ahead
As a movement committed to saving lives in the current environment, it can be daunting to consider the many tasks ahead and determine the path forward. Yet, it is also in this time of great trial that the path seems to have emerged more clearly than at any point in our history, as long as we take a realistic approach to progress.
Given the reality of our time, the prevalence of abortion access and the widespread acceptance of its practice, we must engage in the public arena in new, compelling, honest ways. To save lives – to protect the innocent, we must:
1. Reshape the culture, redefine conventional wisdom on the issue of life. Plainly, we must shift public opinion from supporting abortion to again seeing it as the failure it is to women, the unborn and our society more broadly.
This means speaking to those who are not pro-life in a way that they are open to hearing us. This means focusing heavily on meeting the needs of the women (recall the gender gap GALLUP revealed) who will ultimately make a decision for abortion or birth, empowering her to make a joyful, courageous choice for life.
Life. The Other Choice.
2. Re-engage in the political process at unprecedented levels. How easy it is to become disillusioned by politicians. We place so much (maybe too much) hope in their ability to achieve the good, and, when they fall short, we are tempted to retreat into our daily lives where we feel more certainty and control. Benjamin Franklin foresaw this temptation many years ago when, outside the Constitutional Convention, he said, you have “a republic, if you can keep it.” This is now our task to see through.
With so many critical races this year, from the governor, attorney general, state House (which is a MUST win to protect the vulnerable), state Senate and Congressional seats, to school boards across the state, too much is at stake to sit idly by. At a minimum, we must carry out our duty to vote this year!
3. Renew and grow relationships with people with whom we disagree, not just on abortion but across the spectrum. A pastor friend of mine once told me we grow the most when we have a pastor we might not like so much. I’ve often thought about that – what challenges us to explore new ways of thinking, to grow to better understand those with whom we disagree and to best represent our views to a world desperate for truth. We can’t do this in a vacuum. We must be engaging with people all the time. We cannot grow our movement or reshape public opinion from the comfort of our social circles.
4. Pray. While we must take action and do everything in our power to stand for life, we rest in the assurance that God is in control. No matter the outcome of an election or how dark the culture may have grown, God is the author of life and our great hope for the future.
With that, thank you for your commitment to our country and our cause. This year is a time for both celebration and renewed work to keep America strong. If and when we succeed, the implications of our work on behalf of life are truly boundless.