Standing for Life, from Roe to Now

Dear Friend,

I remember several years ago when I was giving a talk on my book on Abraham Lincoln at a tony center-left conference (a book author will go anywhere).

I had discussed how there was moral backsliding on the question of slavery in the mid 19th century, and a lady got up during the Q&A and asked what I thought was the widely accepted practice today that we'd look back on in horror in the future.

This wasn't a hard one to answer, although I knew the audience wouldn't like it — "abortion on demand."

Of course, what had been a pleasant discussion about Abraham Lincoln's thought and legacy became an argument about abortion for the remainder of the session. So be it — it was the truth.

For at least five decades now, National Review has been speaking the truth about abortion, without fear or favor.

Which is why I'm asking you, as we approach yet another anniversary of one of the most infamous decisions in the history of the Supreme Court, to contribute to our important and relentless effort in this fight. We are aiming to raise $25,000 to help fund our fearless journalism on a cause we hold dear.

It began as soon as Roe was handed down, stretching from our initial editorial ("The practical meaning of the Court's decision is that when a mother does not wish to bear a child the fetus will end up in a hospital disposal can"); to our obituary for Harry Blackmun in 1999 ("He began as a single-cell human zygote containing 46 chromosomes . . ."); to our special "End Roe" issue late last year.

I'd offer to send you a copy of that issue as a free gift to express our thanks for a donation — except we literally have none left.

People were holding copies of it on the steps of the Supreme Court during the oral arguments over Dobbs, and we have reason to believe that it circulated at the highest levels of the Court and influenced some of the questioning during the arguments.

Down through the decades, we kept the faith when the conventional wisdom said, as it did for years and years, that the cause was lost.

We resisted every attempt after Republicans were defeated in elections to blame pro-lifers, most memorably in the atrocious GOP "autopsy" after Mitt Romney lost in 2012.

We insisted on originalist judges and blew the whistle when Republican presidents didn't keep their eye on the ball (we strenuously opposed George W. Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers).

We set out to encourage fellow pro-lifers, to arm them with the very best arguments and facts, to provide sound strategic advice, and to defend them from a constant stream of invective and lies.

I feel confident in saying that there's not another major, non-specialty publication in America that has covered this issue as passionately, unstintingly, and intelligently as NR.

We have a fearless journalist who writes about abortion extensively and knows much more about it than her many thoughtless and abusive critics.

The editor of the print magazine wrote a withering book, "The Party of Death," calling out the deception and bankruptcy of the pro-abortion side.

We have an experienced Washington reporter who puts questions to Democratic politicians on abortion that no one else dares to.

We have a long-time writer who prays at abortion clinics and routinely highlights the inspiring faithfulness of all those who utterly devote themselves to the dignity of human life.

We have a senior correspondent who writes incredibly personally and powerfully about life, and whose views got him canceled.

Now, we are on the cusp of a major victory in the Supreme Court. Who knows how Dobbs will end up, but we wouldn't have gotten close to this place without an effort that has stretched across a couple of generations of activists, politicians, lawyers, writers, priests, ministers, rabbis, and nuns.

Of course, even if Roe is finally and deservedly overturned, that will only be the beginning of another chapter in the fight for life. Whatever happens this summer, we will remain where we've always been on life — utterly committed and completely unapologetic.

If you appreciate what we have done and continue to do on this essential issue, if you value the arguments and reporting we bring to bear, if you know NR's credibility is indispensable in such a high-stakes moral, intellectual, and political contest, I hope you will give whatever you can.

It will allow us to continue our work on this issue and be part of the seamless tapestry that countless millions of people, from all walks of life and in all sorts of roles over so many years, have created in the abiding belief that Roe must be extirpated and that life, all life, must be protected and held sacrosanct.

Thank you for reading,

Rich Lowry