Millennials are increasingly more pro-life and supportive of restrictions on abortion than their parents’ generation, according to polling data taken over the last decade, and pro-life leaders credit medical technology for this growing trend.
Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action, told The Christian Post in a recent interview that advances in ultrasound technology is just one of the many reasons why teenagers and people in their 20s are joining the movement.
“There’s a window into the womb with ultrasound. Just having the look into the womb you can see, even in the first trimester, the early development of the child — you can see the humanity of the child,” Rose said. “Now that we have that imagery and it’s more prevalent, people are having that personal encounter with the child, so it’s easier to recognize their human rights.”
She continued: “And there are stories that have emerged about how abortion doesn’t help women, but it actually hurts them. This has been shared in the testimonies of women who’ve spoken out against it afterwards. And there’s the emergence of evidence about the abuses and the illegal practices at Planned Parenthood that are coming more to light.
“All of these factors are inspiring to younger people who see it as a human rights abuse and an attack against women and children, and they want to join the movement,” Rose added.
“Years ago, it was the case that advocates for abortion would talk about the ‘thing’ growing in a woman’s womb as a lifeless blob of tissue,” Jeanne Monahan, president of March for Life, explained. “And I think our advances in sonography and ultrasounds, and even our understanding of fetal development has dispelled those myths.”
She continued: “We know that, from the moment of conception, a baby has all of its DNA that it needs for the rest of its life. It has everything inherent that it will need for later on. Really, the only difference [between the preborn and adults] is in size and development.”