Building a Post-Roe Future

The following statement, published on January 19, 2023, was drafted by Jonathon Van Maren (Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform), Eric Scheidler (Pro-Life Action League), Charles Camosy (Creighton University), and Josh Brahm (Equal Rights Institute) after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Hundreds of pro-life leaders, authors, and scholars have signed on. To add your name, use the form below.

Joint Statement

It’s time for the pro-life movement to embrace bold, new pro-family policies.

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the pro-life movement finally has the opportunity to extend legal protection to unborn children, and legislatures in several states have already begun to do this. But we believe limiting or even banning abortion is not enough. 

We are pro-life conservatives, moderates, and liberals united in our conviction that every human life has value—including the lives of both the unborn child and that child’s mother. We believe that our society should prioritize the needs of both, and that ultimately this can only be achieved by significant changes in public policy. 

The pro-life movement has always recognized the importance of supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies, with millions donated over the years to a vast national network of pro-life pregnancy centers. But in the new landscape emerging after Roe, with some states limiting abortion while others expand their abortion license, support from non-profits will not be enough.

State and federal governments must take action to eliminate or reduce the significant economic and social pressures that we know drive women to seek abortion in the first place. 

Among the policies that should be broadly embraced by the pro-life movement and advanced by elected officials are:

  • Accessible and affordable healthcare for parents and children—including expanding Medicaid funding for prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum expenses—to reduce the financial barriers to welcoming a new child;
  • Expanded child tax credits that promote family formation and lift children out of poverty;
  • Paid parental leave that ensures every infant can receive the close attention and nurturing care they need from their mothers and fathers in the early months of life;
  • Flexible work hours to enable families to establish a tranquil home life, with predictable work schedules and better options for meaningful part-time employment;
  • Affordable childcare options that support working parents, without disincentivizing the choice to raise young children at home that many families say they would prefer; 
  • Fully enforce existing prenatal child support laws while seeking effective new ways to demand that all men take responsibility for children they father.

We realize that not every government has the fiscal capacity to enact every measure that might reduce abortion, and that these policies must be carefully crafted to empower families without disincentivizing work or promoting unhealthy dependence on government. 

Nevertheless, meeting the needs of mothers and children at this historic moment is too important for us not to try bold, new, transformative policies, find out what really works, and continue to reform our society on behalf of the American family.

Co-Signers

Please note that organizational affiliations are provided for identification purposes only.

Erika Bachiochi
Fellow
Ethics and Public Policy Center

Rev. Thomas Berg, Ph.D.
Professor of Moral Theology
St. Joseph’s Seminary

Jeffrey Paul Bishop
Professor of Philosophy and Tenet Endowed Chair in Bioethics
Saint Louis University

Father Shenan J. Boquet
President
Human Life International

Josh Brahm drafter
President
Equal Rights Institute

The Hon. Peter Breen
Vice President & Senior Counsel
Thomas More Society

Fr. Patrick Briscoe
Editor
Our Sunday Visitor

Patrick T. Brown
Fellow
Ethics and Public Policy Center

John Bruchalski, MD, FACOG
President
Divine Mercy Care

Mark Brumley
President
Ignatius Press

Terrisa Bukovinac
Founder and Executive Director
Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising

Charlie Camosy drafter
Professor of Medical Humanities
Creighton University School of Medicine

John Christopher Cavadini
Professor of Theology
University of Notre Dame McGrath Institute for Church Life

William Cavanaugh
Professor
DePaul University

Kristin M. Collier, MD, FACP
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Michigan

Carol N. Crossed
President
Feminists Choosing Life of New York

David V. Cruz-Uribe, OFS
Board Member
Consistent Life Network

Kim Daniels
Director
Georgetown Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life

Kristen Day
Executive Director
Democrats For Life of America

Richard M. Doerflinger
Fellow
de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, University of Notre Dame

Ben Domenech
Editor-at-Large
The Spectator World

Abigail Favale
Professor of the Practice
McGrath Institute for Church Life, Univ. of Notre Dame

Mary Hallan FioRito
Cardinal Francis George Fellow
Ethics and Public Policy Center

Georgette Forney
President
Anglicans For Life

Herb Geraghty
Executive Director
Rehumanize International

Catherine Glenn Foster
President & CEO
Americans United for Life

Justin E. Giboney, J.D.
President
AND Campaign

Brian Gibson
Executive Director
Pro-Life Action Ministries

Jor-El Godsey
President
Heartbeat International

Kristan Hawkins
President
Students for Life Action/Students for Life of America

Kelsey Hazzard
President
Secular Pro-Life

Joshua P. Hochschild
Professor of Philosophy
Mount St. Mary’s University

Walter Hoye
CEO
Issues4Life Foundation

Philip Jeffery
Deputy Opinion Editor
Newsweek

Abby Johnson
CEO
And Then There Were None

Jessica Keating
Director, Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity
University of Notre Dame

Bryan Kemper
President
Stand True Pro-life Outreach

Father Roger J. Landry
Catholic Chaplain
Columbia University

Joe Langfeld
Executive Director
Human Life Alliance

Daniel Lipinski
Member of Congress, 2005-2021
U.S. House of Representatives, Retired

Kathryn Jean Lopez
Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Religion, Culture, and Civil Society
National Review Institute

Pat Mahoney
Director
Christian Defense Coalition

Drew Mariani
Managing Editor and Host of the Drew Mariani Show
Relevant Radio

Dr. Calum Miller
Research Associate
University of Oxford

Monica Migliorino Miller, Ph.D.
President
Citizens for a Pro-Life Society

Russell Moore
Editor-in-Chief
Christianity Today

Aimee Murphy
Founder & Director of Publications
Rehumanize International

Lauren Muzyka
President and CEO
Sidewalk Advocates for Life

Michael New
Assistant Professor of Practice
The Catholic University of America

Melissa Ohden
Founder & CEO
The Abortion Survivors Network

Karen Swallow Prior, Ph.D.
Research Professor
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Elaine Riddick
Executive Director
Rebecca Project for Justice

Felix Angel Rodriguez, MD
Physician
Palm Beach Physicians Guild/Catholic Medical Association

Lila Rose
President
Live Action

Leah Libresco Sargeant
Writer
Other Feminisms

Nicole Scheidl
Executive Director
Canadian Physicians for Life

Ann Scheidler
Vice President
Pro-Life Action League

Eric J. Scheidler drafter
Executive Director
Pro-Life Action League

Bobby Schindler
President
Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network

Harry Scherer
Editorial Fellow
The American Conservative

Chris Slattery
Founder and President
EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers

R.J. Snell
Editor in Chief
The Public Discourse

Peter Sonski
Presidential Candidate
American Solidarity Party

Richard Stith
Board Member
Consistent Life Network

Jonathan Van Maren drafter
Communications Director
Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform

Mary Kate Zander
Executive Director
Illinois Right to Life

Find additional signers here.

Sign on to the Joint Statement

Use the form below to add your name to the Joint Statement. Please note that your institutional affiliations will be provided in the list of signers for identification purposes only.