Introduction

The modern pro-life movement began in the late 1960’s, when numerous state legislatures were beginning to liberalize abortion laws, such as allowing women abortions in life-threatening cases. Reacting to the increased, even if tacit state approval of abortion, the Catholic church began to organize against it. Beginning in 1966, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, appointed Father James McHugh to monitor abortion laws. Soon after McHugh and other antiabortionists hoping to distance themselves from religious origins, founded the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC). The long-term goal of the NRLC and pro-life movement was to repeal Roe v Wade, and sought to do so by highlighting how Americans had a right to life, and therefore a Human Life Amendment should be entrenched in the constitution. This received a fair amount of attention in the House and Senate but was ultimately not ratified. The movement soon split. One half focused primarily on an ‘incrementalism’ approach to activism, hoping to make small gains limiting abortion in a movement towards repealing Roe or establishing a Human Life Amendment.