Tuesday, March 15th, is a big day for Illinois. All across the state, Illinoisans will emerge from their communities, line up at the ballot boxes, and cast their votes during an election year that holds tremendous weight. Each and every vote will help determine our leaders on local, city, and state levels, and decide who is nominated to run for the next presidential election. Coincidentally, this year’s presidential election could have an impact unlike ever before.
What’s at stake this election year?
The outcome will set the stage for the pro-life movement, not just for the next four years but perhaps for generations to come.
Since Roe v. Wade, the passage of pro-life laws has remained an enormous struggle. Life-saving legislation has been aggressively opposed, most especially during this current presidential term. However, the tables are about to turn.
More and more pro-life officials, representatives, and legislators are being elected, continuing to tip majorities in both the House and Senate. The hostility toward pro-life legislation hangs by a thread.
During the past year, two monumental pro-life bills made it to the Congressional floor. The most recent was the bill to defund Planned Parenthood, which passed the House with a vote of 240-181 and the Senate with 52-47. Unfortunately, President Obama vetoed the bill. President Obama was the only road block preventing the legislation from being enacted.
Another bill that passed the House, with a 242-184 vote, was the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This bill would place a ban on abortions after 20 weeks gestation, at which scientists have found that an unborn child can feel pain. In the Senate, the bill was just shy of passing, receiving a majority vote of 54-42. With just a few more pro-life senators, this bill can be sent to the president’s desk. As more pro-life political leaders go to work for us in Congress, passing pro-life bills, it is imperative that we have a pro-life president. The passage of historic pro-life legislation could become a serious reality, depending on who America chooses to place in the Oval Office.
But the possibilities do not end here.
The next President of the United States is expected to nominate at least one – possibly two or three – Supreme Court justices. With this nomination, the outcome of Supreme Court decisions for the next decade or more may be determined. Moreover, a pro-life president could nominate the justices that will overturn Roe v. Wade.
Alongside Illinois, Ohio, Florida, and Missouri also hold primaries on March 15th. On this day, it is imperative that we pro-life Illinoisans get out and vote. Everything is contingent on who are new leaders are, most especially our next president.
The future of the pro-life movement is at stake. If we want to see an end to abortion in our nation and respect and love for the most vulnerable of human lives restored, now is the perfect time to let our voices be heard.
Get out and vote tomorrow, Illinois. Let’s make 2016 the year of the pro-life movement.