As the dust settles after the midterm elections, pro-life Americans have an opportunity to reflect and look ahead. Four states — Idaho, Nevada, Virginia, and Missouri — posed radical abortion measures. The results, a victory in Idaho and losses in the other three states, begin a new chapter in America’s ongoing debate over abortion.
Our former president Jennie Bradley Lichter rightly attributed the enthusiasm gap between the parties in part to abortion inaction by the administration, particularly on the critical issue of mifepristone regulation, which gives pro-lifers less motivation to vote. With the results now in, we can affirm that and strategize as to how we can start to close that gap.
The truth is, abortion cannot remain an endlessly repeating chapter in American political debate, cynically used by both parties to drive voter turnout. Instead, we at March for Life are asking a more important question: What would it take to actually change Americans’ minds about abortion?
Laws matter, but they do not change hearts or build consensus. Nor do abortion-specific laws address the social problems and brokenness that often lead to abortion. To gain a more promising future, our movement should rethink how we approach words, stories, and framing.
First, we must speak with intention. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has written extensively about language’s influence on emotion and perception. His ideas about “affective priming” — that negative emotions arise from negative words — should encourage us to move away from language that repels and toward concepts of beauty and truth. Our conversations should emphasize universal values that unite liberals and conservatives. Care for others and protection from harm can create powerful messages for our movement.
Second, stories win. Eighteen of the 25 most-engaged posts on March for Life’s social media accounts in 2026 have told stories. From a great-grandparent holding a newborn, 103 years apart but united in love, to a father’s unique ability to soothe a crying child, to a nine-month-old with Down syndrome saying his first word, the truth and beauty of our movement transcend party politics. Humans, at their core, want to hear and see the beauty of other humans persevering through life alongside them.
EVANGELICAL VOTERS LEFT THEIR DISCERNMENT IN 2022
Finally, framing matters. When we use true words to tell true stories, we win. But our frame must be right, too. It is the window through which we share our vision with an audience, and that window should reveal something strong and inviting. Rather than focus on purity tests or online flame wars, our movement must advance a joyful, hopeful frame. Our focus should be on a better future, moving beyond the burdens and sorrows of the present toward one that embraces, promotes, and protects all human life.
Words, stories, and framing can help us break free from an every-two-year electoral quagmire and reclaim our agency from political instrumentalism. As we prepare to welcome tens of thousands of pro-life Americans to Washington in January to march for life, we’ve chosen “The Truth is Pro-Life” as our theme. Together, we can become more effective truth-tellers.
Hayden Sledge is March for Life chief of staff.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
