WATCH LIVE: Pence delivers remarks at National Celebration of Life Rally
The annual pro-life rally is being held for the first time since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
EXCLUSIVE: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Dobbs decision and overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, giving states back the power to decide their laws on abortions. One year after the monumental decision, activists reveal what a pro-life message looks in order to "change the political landscape" for 2024.
"I think what the pro-life movement is looking for is bold and uncompromising leadership on life," Lila Rose, president of pro-life nonprofit Live Action, told Fox News Digital on the 2024 presidential race. "Leaders that are visionaries, leaders that speak the truth even when it's unpopular. And the truth is, if you're human life in the womb, you deserve legal protection and you should be protected from homicide."
With the 2024 presidential election ramping up, GOP candidates are taking their positions on abortion — an issue which will likely play a major role in voter decisions next cycle — but some have backed away from drawing a line on the issue. With this in mind, Rose suggested "candidates willing to call abortion what it is" will be the ones who capture the attention of pro-life voters.
Rose said that someone like Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who won by a nearly 20-point margin in the midterms before launching his 2024 presidential campaign, has embodied pro-life leadership.
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"We should demand better from our candidates and look for leaders who are leaders in life. Governor DeSantis won his re-election in a landslide. He just passed an abortion ban after a baby is six weeks old, that's a big step forward," Rose said in the exclusive interview.
"The work in many ways has intensified. And now we are fighting at the state level for legal protections," Lila Rose said of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.? (Live Action)
"You have a purple state like Florida, and you see that when people are activated, when they're organized together to accomplish specific political ends, big changes can be made," Rose added.
Kellyanne Conway mirrored Rose's thoughts during a recent press call with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life, where she challenged the pro-life community to pressure pro-abortion candidates to give their stance on the issue.
"If you're running for president of the United States, it should be easy to have a 15-week minimum standard," Conway said during the call. "A show of compromise and compassion, and turning down the temperature provides a good opening and opportunity for hearts and mind to learn the truth about the political party, to learn the truth about the scientific development and the preciousness of life, and to know the truth about abortion in 2023 in this nation."
"Pro-life is not a matter of winning, so much as saving and making sure we are consistent throughout their entire life," Conway said before referencing how GOP 2024 frontrunner and former President Donald Trump "increased support for community health clinics" during his presidency.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. (Maya Alleruzzo)
Several state leaders nationwide passed pro-life laws over the past year, but Rose highlighted that the pro-life movement is being heavily outspent, with some marketing calculations showing one pro-life dollar is equivalent to 40 pro-abortion dollars.
The activist noted that while many strides have been made since Roe was overturned in June 2022, "we have to invest more in education and marketing. The pro-abortion side is all marketing. They use lies and they use misinformation."
After some pro-life legislation failed to pass at the state level in the 2022 midterms — including the Born Alive Infant Protection Act which required medical professionals to provide medical care to children born alive after a failed abortion attempt — Rose said that "we should be focusing on education and activism" in order to develop a winning message on the ballot.
"These are things that get the most important human rights issue of our day out in the public square and help open eyes to the truth about abortion," Rose said. "That's going to help and pass legislation."
Pro-life crowd cheers over SCOTUS decision in 2022. (Joshua Comins)
Rose detailed the overturning of Roe's impact on the pro-life community and how "we have an opportunity of a lifetime to achieve complete legal protection for pre-born children and make sure that the right to life is respected in this country."
"One thing as a first step is to double down on cultural work to educate others, to change hearts and minds in our own communities. That's something that Live Action focuses on," Rose told Fox. "And they're not going to change overnight. But by the quiet, everyday work of reaching people, teaching people, educating, we can make a cultural change."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, R-Calif., claimed Friday that Republicans won't vote for national pro-abortion legislation because "they're afraid of their constituents."
People protest about abortion, Friday, June 24, 2022, outside the Supreme Court in Washington.? (Steve Helber)
"What are they afraid of? They're afraid of their constituents," the Democrat said during a press conference. "They're going to have a lot more to fear in the next election. We can guarantee that to them. They played a big role in the last election. It will even be bigger in the next election."
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While Democrats claim that that GOP won't vote for abortion because they are "afraid," Rose assured pro-lifers will "choose political leaders who are really bold and uncompromising leaders on life and who are not going to cower and run from the issue."
Rose also highlighted Live Action is announcing the new North Star of the movement "calling for complete legal protection for the child, as promised by the 14th Amendment."
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