Pa. evangelicals March for Life as GOP backs down

From church pews across Harrisburg, thousands of pro-life protesters flocked to the state capitol in the rain for the Pennsylvania March for Life on Monday. With their umbrellas and signs raised high, they delivered a clear message: the fight against abortion in the state — and across the country — is far from over.

"We are going to stand for life, and we will not stop until abortion is made illegal and unthinkable," Toni McFadden, a pro-life activist and the host of this year’s march, said to the cheering crowds. 

White evangelicals – one of the main groups driving the pro-life movement – are a crucial voting bloc in Pennsylvania. As primarily single-issue abortion voters, the republican party’s shift away from the issue has caused tension with this historically reliable voting bloc. With a razor-thin margin, even a slight shift in evangelical turnout could affect the outcome of this presidential election. In 2016, former president Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by a narrow margin, largely due to the support of white evangelicals. Without their overwhelming support again this November, it’s unlikely he will win the swing state’s 19 electoral college votes or the White House.

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, support for abortion access has increased across the country and in Pennsylvania. Currently, 66 percent of likely voters in Pennsylvania believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to a recent poll by the Philadelphia Inquirer. With this shift in public opinion, pro-life ballot measures and candidates across the country have overwhelmingly failed, and the Republican Party has backpedaled its position on abortion. Breaking a 40-year precedent, the GOP passed a national party platform earlier this year that did not call for a national abortion ban.

While much of the country has been shifting, white evangelicals have remained steadfast in their opposition to abortion. Nationally, white evangelicals are now the only religious group with a majority of followers who believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, according to Pew Research. With the growing divide between white evangelicals and Republicans’ stance on abortion, their strong, long-standing relationship has been strained this election cycle.

Former President Trump, the party’s policy guiding star, once appealed to evangelicals with strong pro-life promises. During his first term, he appointed conservative federal judges, supported a national 20-week abortion ban, and vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

However, since Roe was overturned, Trump — who once identified as “very pro-choice” — has been sending increasingly mixed messages on abortion. Recently, he framed himself as "great for women and reproductive rights." This week at a rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Trump said he would be women’s “protector” and women would stop “thinking about abortion” altogether if reelected. During that rally, he maintained his support for state-by-state abortion policy decisions, while vowing to protect exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

All this has left many evangelicals unsure of where Trump and the Republican Party currently stand. With many born-again Christians operating as single-issue pro-life voters, this bloc may see decreased turnout in November.

Despite his shifting position on abortion, 75 percent of white evangelicals currently support Trump, according to a recent Fox News poll. While he still has strong support from the group, it may not be enough to guarantee a victory. Both Democratic and Republican strategists feel that Trump cannot win the presidency without securing at least 80 percent of the white evangelical vote nationally. 

Right now, Pennsylvania allows abortion up until the 24th week of pregnancy. The majority of abortions in the state are still performed within the first 8 weeks, the state’s most recent data reveals. Pro-life activists are pushing for more restrictive policies in the Keystone State and across the country.

"We will not rest until every life is cherished and protected," Republican State Representative Marla Gallow Brown,  previously the director of a faith-based pregnancy resource center, said to the cheering crowd.

While the Pennsylvania March for Life and its parent organization have not endorsed any political candidates, several speakers urged attendees to vote and continue rallying for the pro-life cause.

“The votes that we make and the level that we engage can truly make a difference between life and death and [determine] whether Pennsylvania heads in a pro-life direction or looks more like New York or California in the days to come,” said Micheal Geer, the founder of the Pennsylvania Family Institute and one of the organizers of this year’s Pennsylvania March for Life. 

While the general population — and, increasingly, the Republican Party — seems to be moving away from staunchly pro-life policies, evangelicals remain firmly committed. Whether that commitment translates to support for Trump or diminished voter turnout remains to be seen.