WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pro-life advocates from across the nation gathered for this year’s March for Life in January, laser-focused on the next mission.
“As you’re out there talking to activists, they are excited, but they also have a laundry list of things that are still not done to check off,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America.
That list includes ending abortion at the state level and cutting off access to drugs that are used to end pregnancies through abortion.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, 12 states have moved to provide constitutional protections for abortion. The result: more than one million abortions were performed in a single year, from July 2023 to June 2024, a number higher than in the years before the landmark decision.
Researchers point to several factors driving the increase, including patients’ ability to travel across state lines, so-called “shield laws” that allow abortions in states where the procedure is banned, and a rise in chemical abortions.
“There are no guardrails on the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. Women are ordering them online — sometimes it’s coercive men. There’s no verification of who is getting them,” said Dr. Ingrid Skop, an OBGYN with the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute.
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Skop told CBN News it is difficult to track the true number of chemical abortions, noting that some pills are coming from overseas.
“They’re being delivered in the mail, often to pro-life states like Texas. No testing beforehand. No doctor to walk with the woman through the abortion,” Skop said.
She and others are calling for more action from the Trump administration.
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In January, a group of GOP lawmakers urged the White House to reverse Biden-era FDA regulations that allow abortion pills to be prescribed via telehealth.
“You can’t say it’s a state issue and sit on the sidelines while the federal government, through an agency, is sending the pill that undercuts everything people at the state level have worked for,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
READ: Faith Leaders Ask Trump to Protect States’ Rights in Fight Against Abortion Pill
Many advocates say time is critical.
“When you tell a pro-life activist, ‘the FDA investigation into chemical abortions is ongoing…just be patient, wait a couple more months.’ That’s more lives that will be ended,” Hawkins said.
Although President Trump has been dubbed by supporters as the most pro-life president in history, some have questioned his administration’s commitment during his second term.
Those concerns grew after the president suggested Republicans be “flexible” on the Hyde Amendment, a measure first passed in 1976 that prohibits taxpayer dollars from funding most abortions.
“This is a red line,” said Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. “I think you saw the pushback from Republicans…the speaker pushed back, and I think you’re going to see increasing pushback on this, because this is something that two-thirds of Americans agree with,” Perkins told CBN News’ Faith Nation.
READ Pro-Life Groups Push Back on Trump’s Abortion Funding Suggestion: ‘No Hyde, No Deal’
Despite recent grumblings, the March for Life crowd’s overall reaction to the Trump administration was overwhelmingly positive. Still, conversations on the ground revealed an undercurrent of advocates pushing for more.
“I think a lot of what they’re doing is fantastic,” said Will Claeys with Thomas Aquinas College Right to Life. “Expanding the Mexico City policy is huge. Defining abortion not only as a medical procedure but also as a chemical procedure, like the pill — I think that would be a big step.”
Vice President JD Vance addressed what he called the “elephant in the room,” highlighting the administration’s accomplishments while reminding the audience that change takes time.
“I remember friends of mine who spent their entire lives fighting for the unborn without ever seeing the victories that accumulated in recent years,” Vance said. “My friends, I’d ask you: look where the fight for life stood just one decade ago, and now look where it stands today.”
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For many advocates, the responsibility does not rest solely with the White House.
The Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, currently moving through Congress, would ensure pregnant students are fully informed of their rights. Crisis pregnancy centers are also playing a role, with more than 2,600 facilities nationwide.
Grassroots groups like EveryLife are making an impact as well. The company has donated more than eight million diapers to mothers in need.
“We know when we donate these diapers, they’re not sitting in warehouses or pregnancy centers — they’re going directly into the hands of moms who desperately need to know people care for them, love them, and want to help them choose life for their child,” said founder Sarah Gabel.
Advocates say that the message remains central: lasting change requires action at every level of society, working together.
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