Pushing Roe v. Wade Over the Brink

The day after the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Roe v. Wade in January 1973, the New York Times pronounced the abortion issue settled in America. But a diverse social movement, growing year by year, couldn’t accept an unprecedented decision that so radically contradicted our Anglo-American heritage protecting human life.


That movement included Americans United for Life, the nation’s first pro-life law and policy organization. Inspired by the Declaration of Independence and the success of the NAACP’s legal campaign against racial segregation, Americans United for Life pursued a focused strategy in culture, law, and policy to reverse Roe v. Wade and to advocate across the spectrum of human right to life issues from abortion to euthanasia, assisted suicide, patients’ rights, and the wellbeing of persons throughout life.


Against all odds, surrounded by critics on the left and the right, Americans United for Life persevered when many had given up. This is the story of the nearly 50-year campaign that culminated in the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, and the continuing battle for America’s heart, the human right to life, and a future full of hope.