Can America End Abortion?

WASHINGTON—As people were marching at this year's March for Life in Washington, D.C., they felt it was important they be in the streets putting on a massive pubic display against abortion.

They are hopeful because President Donald Trump is signing executive orders and the U.S. House of Representatives is voting to take any and all U.S. taxpayer dollars away from groups that advocate for or actually perform abortions.

However, they're still focused on  stopping abortions, one person at a time. It's why the March for Life's motto this year – the Power of One – is so important: pushing each pro-life advocate to ask what they can do individually to save the unborn.   

CBN News asked prominent pro-life advocates here for the march, what can people do to stop abortion and is the pro-life movement succeeding?

Joe Scheidler, founder of the Pro-Life Action League, has been fighting abortion since 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide.   He told CBN News each person can take crucial action.

"One of the most basic is talking to the women at the clinics," Scheidler stated.  "As they're going in, they're conflicted.  Many of them are very unhappy.  And if you can get close enough to them — if you don't have bubble zones and things — you can often, well not often, but you can talk them out of abortion."

David Bereit, founder of the 40 Day for Life movement, stated, "People are realizing they don't have to wait on Washington, D.C., even though we are now seeing progress here.  They can save lives at their statehouse.  They can save lives outside the abortion centers where they live.  So by prayers, by action, people are saving lives and we are seeing the beginning of the end of abortion."

Shawn Carney, the president of 40 Days for Life, told CBN News, "Despite 44 years of legalized abortion, the pro-life movement has more momentum than it's ever had.  It's younger than it's ever been.  And it's larger than it's ever been.  And we saw that at the March for Life in Washington D.C. Every single year.  Hundreds of thousands of people gathering.   And on the other side we see Planned Parenthood brand at an all-time low despite 44 years of legalized abortion."

Bereit added, "In 1991, the abortion industry reached its pinnacle, just shy of 22-hundred surgical abortion centers across America.  That number today has dropped to fewer than 600.  So two-thirds of abortion centers have closed."

Tom Glessner at the National Institute for Family and Life Advocates fights for pro-life pregnancy centers.   He's feeling optimistic about the fight against abortion.

"In 1992, the estimated annual abortions were 1.6 million a year.   Today, that number is under 1 million," Glessner stated, adding, "Now one million is way too many, horrible.  One is way too many.   But when you think of a reduction of almost 700,000 abortions a year in a 20-year period, that's a remarkable achievement.  So where are we going?   We're going to end abortion in America.  No question about it, and we're moving ahead, and we're on the right path."