Pro-Lifers Launch $52M Battleground Campaign: 'Voters Need to be Reminded What's at Stake'

Today marks the 47th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion in America, and it's been a major political issue ever since.

Now one pro-life group has unveiled a $52 million campaign in battleground states to elect pro-life candidates in 2020.

CBN News' George Thomas spoke with Mallory Quigley, the vice president of communications for the Susan B. Anthony List. Quigley said President Trump's pro-life efforts have prompted the organization to make a huge investment in the 2020 election.

"President Trump is the most pro-life president that we've ever had as a country and we've made enormous gains under this Trump/Pence administration," she said. "Our plan is to make sure Donald Trump has another four years in the White House and he has a pro-life Senate to confirm his judicial nominees and generally support him in what he is laid out to do."

Targeting Battleground States 

Susan B. Anthony List is targeting battleground states where both the Democratic and Republican candidates have a good chance of winning the presidential election.

"Susan B. Anthony List and Women Speak Out Pac are looking at states such as North Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Arizona. We want to talk to not only pro-life voters but traditional Democrat voters including Hispanics, Independents and moderate Republicans - people who might want to vote for a pro-abortion candidate because of their support for other issues like health care and immigration. We need to remind voters what is at stake in this election," Quigley said.

"Over the last several years, the Democratic leadership has gotten increasingly more pro-abortion and they have removed the phrase, 'safe, legal and rare' from the Democratic Party platform. They've espoused a position that is support for abortion on demand, up until the moment of birth and paid for by taxpayers and that's what the party stands for."

Quigley added that the organization is having face-to-face conversations with voters, educating and reminding them about what the policy positions are between the candidates.

"Once people know about these pro-abortion positions, we find that they are much more likely to want to support pro-life candidates...including the president."

Planned Parenthood Plans Large-Scale Funding

Quigley explained that Planned Parenthood, which is spending $45 million to support pro-abortion candidates, is so motivated because they lost millions of dollars in federal funding under President Trump.

"Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion business - a report out from them a week ago outlining that abortion is up at Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile, everything else they claim to do - women's health care services like cancer screening and contraceptives are down. They saw what has happened under the Trump administration. They lost $60 million through the Title X program because they wouldn't separate their abortion activity from their family planning."

"The president drew a hard line in the sand and said 'Abortion is not what Title X is supposed to be about,' so they lost federal funding under this president and they are making an investment in their financial future to try and elect a pro-abortion extremist politician and slow down the pro-life momentum at the state level," Quigley said.

CBN News previously reported that Planned Parenthood is preparing to "fund large-scale grassroots programs and canvassing digital, television, radio and mail programs."

Quigley said Susan B. Anthony List is joining tens of thousands of pro-lifers in marking the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in Washington, hoping it will be overturned soon.

"Dozens of different pieces of litigation are happening right now. The court is going to have to address this issue and we will see what they say in March with the Louisiana admitting privileges case. It could be very soon, but court watchers and pro-life people are all watching that case to see how the court rules on whether or not abortion businesses can continue, as they have done, to sue pro-life state legislators."  

"It was a profoundly undemocratic ruling that prevented states and state legislators from enacting laws that reflect the will of the people in those states. Americans are pro-life and increasingly so and they want to see common sense pro-life measures enacted and particularly at the state level. So there has been this unrest in the hearts and minds of the American people that has played out at the state level with these leaders passing these very strong pieces of pro-life policy."

The Louisiana case is the first dealing with abortion to come before the Supreme Court since Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, both nominated by President Trump, were seated on the court. 

Planned Parenthood and other abortion supporters have relied heavily on the courts to side with them on the abortion issue to get what legislatures wouldn't pass as law. Now with two more justices on the Court who think judges shouldn't make law, they're concerned Roe v. Wade may be reconsidered and result in a diminishing of the right to abortion. 

"A majority of Americans believe that abortion policy ought to be decided by state legislators, not the judicial branch. There is this growing pro-life momentum because our laws haven't been permitted to reflect the will of the people," Quigley concluded.