April 1, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – No wonder American abortion activists have been panicking: According to a recent report from Planned Parenthood and the Guttmacher Institute, more than 250 bills restricting abortion have been filed in 41 states since the beginning of 2019. More than 400 pro-life laws have passed in state legislatures since 2011, but the avalanche of pro-life legislation seems to have increased and picked up speed over the past two years, especially with an uptick in “heartbeat bills,” which functionally ban abortion at six weeks (Georgia’s heartbeat ban is currently attracting the ire of the television industry.)

With the Trump Administration packing the courts with pro-life justices, anti-abortion legal groups are maneuvering for the best case to take another crack at Roe. At the moment, there are over twenty cases in line at the Supreme Court of the United States that could undermine abortion rights as defined by Roe even further, or potentially overturn Roe entirely—that, of course, will depend on whether Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh vote pro-life. Chief Justice John Roberts, a justice with an impeccable pro-life record, has also given cause for concern over the past few years, and it is possible that he would vote to uphold Roe to avoid appearing partisan. Despite those provisos, this is certainly the best opportunity pro-lifers have had to overturn Roe in a generation.

Some states are already preparing for that eventuality. According to Planned Parenthood and the Guttmacher Institute, six states—Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas—have passed “trigger bans,” legislation designed to criminalize abortion automatically if Roe is overturned. According to abortion activist Robin Marty, at least fifteen states will ban abortion if or when Roe v. Wade falls, based on how many states already have trigger laws in place as well as those who have indicated a desire to ban abortion if Roe were to be overturned. Some states are inserting language recognizing the personhood of pre-born human beings to ensure protection for those in the womb if the Supreme Court removes the existing legal barriers.

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Even aside from the relentless and admirable efforts of the Trump Administration to enact pro-life policies both at home and abroad (leading to much anger in the ranks of the UN’s pro-abortion bureaucrats), abortion activists have had a very bad year. New York State passed extreme legislation permitting abortion until birth and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (the guy who dressed up either in blackface or a KKK costume and then refused to resign) defended letting babies that survived abortion die. The Democratic Party’s response to this sudden enthusiasm for late-term abortion and infanticide was to double down: Not a single presidential candidate voted for protections for babies born alive during abortion procedures, and every one of them supports abortion until birth.

Voters responded to the Democratic Party’s repulsive position on killing full-term babies in the womb by becoming more pro-life—an Axios poll at the end of February indicated a “huge shift” in the pro-life direction, with the shift being driven primarily by younger Democrats. Not that this has made any difference to the Democrats, mind you—even 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke recently affirmed his support for abortion until birth in that exceptionally cloying and over-earnest manner of his, which did nothing to blunt the ugliness of his fervently-held position. The Democrats have staked out their territory and drenched it with blood. They won’t be backing down, now or ever.

Only three months into 2019, and the abortion industry has so far had their worst year since the Center for Medical Progress broke the baby body parts scandal. The abortion rate continues to decline, state legislatures continue to pass pro-life legislation, and the Trump Administration continues to appoint pro-life justices. So far, it has been a good year for human rights, and a good year for justice. We can only hope it will continue.

Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he interviews Ryan Bomberger, an internationally recognized pro-life speaker, who shares his unique upbringing as an adopted child in a family of 15. He also discusses social justice and where the civil rights movement went wrong on abortion. You can subscribe here, and listen to the episode below: