Scholars, students discuss future of pro-life movement

The “Equal Protection Summit,” held from October 16–18 at the University of Notre Dame, marked a significant moment in the ongoing national conversation about the legal and constitutional status of life in the womb. Hosted by Americans United for Life (AUL), the oldest pro-life organization in the U.S., the summit was described as the “first-ever conference on the personhood of human lives and the constitutional implications thereof.” 

In the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, AUL’s inaugural summit focused on the legal personhood of the unborn under the 14th Amendment, asking: What happens in the legal fight against abortion, now that the foundation of Roe v. Wade is gone?

The inaugural conference attracted nearly 100 attendees, approximately a quarter of whom were Notre Dame law students. 

Summit organizer Merlot Fogarty, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2024, explained to the Rover, “[AUL] chose Notre Dame as the host for the summit because we know that many key conversations about the future of the pro-life movement are happening at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.” She continued, “I wanted to ensure that students were invited to attend because I knew how fruitful conversations between professionals and students would be on this issue.”

Fogarty, who served as president of Notre Dame Right to Life during her time on campus, made a deliberate effort to ensure that all sessions included ample time for Q&A, allowing students to engage directly with seasoned professionals. “Often, students bring questions and ideas that haven’t yet been thought of by those deeply immersed in the profession,” she noted. 

The summit brought together leaders from more than fifteen national pro-life organizations, as well as distinguished scholars and prominent figures in the pro-life movement.

One of the standout sessions was given by Emma Waters, a policy analyst from the Heritage Foundation. Waters addressed the growing intersection of long-term women’s health concerns and the pro-life movement. She emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in how the movement views women’s health—moving beyond the artificial solutions to control fertility and parenthood, and focusing instead on education about the natural function of the female body and fertility. 

Waters’ insights on restorative women’s health struck a chord with many attendees including Fogarty, who mentioned that Waters’ approach is “something the pro-life movement has yet to tap into.” Fogarty continued, “Women are given the band-aids of birth control, abortion, and IVF rather than being educated about taking care of themselves and getting to the root cause of health issues.” This fosters a “growing distrust between women and their doctors, which only grows when crisis pregnancies arise.”

The summit also offered insights into how local and state-level pro-life groups can collaborate to influence the broader cultural and legal environment. “At the local level, there are so many smaller pro-life groups doing positive work,” Melanie Lyon, Voices for Life executive director, told the Rover. “If we work together, we can work toward creating a culture that affirms equal protection.”

Voices for Life is a local Hoosier pro-life grassroots organization located in South Bend that works on the frontlines to spread the pro-life message throughout the state of Indiana through sidewalk advocacy, door-to-door outreach, and fundraisers.

Lyon said that the breakout sessions placed a key emphasis on “the importance of unity and collaboration among pro-life groups.” She added, “Slowly, but surely, we are moving the cultural needle towards life. We just need people willing to participate in this work all around Indiana.”

Notre Dame law student Sean Tehan said that the summit displayed how the “pro-life movement takes a multifaceted approach to its goal of making abortion not just illegal, but unthinkable. This holistic response has legal, political, cultural, and sociological dimensions.” 

Tehan added, “The summit showed me that we have a lot of work left to do in the movement. I have worked in the pro-life movement for many years and going to an event like this one only reminds me how passionate, loving, and devoted the pro-life movement is.”

John Mize, CEO of AUL, remarked that “the body of work we [have produced] together at the Equal Protection Summit will become our playbook for the pro-life movement, just as AUL’s Palmer House Conference on Overturning Roe in 1984 became the long-term strategy for a Supreme Court victory in Dobbs.”

When asked about AUL’s goal to secure constitutional personhood, Steven Aden, AUL’s Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, remarked to the Rover, “This is certainly a generational goal, but we are committed to achieving it in the long haul. We recall well that, for many years, only a few visionary individuals believed in AUL’s long-term goal of seeing Roe overturned, and that has now been accomplished.”

Aden continued, “The Summit proved to be a resounding success, bringing together scholars, pro-life advocates, and law students from across the nation to discuss how the ‘principle of equal protection’ in the 14th amendment can be applied to protect human life in the womb.”

At the closing banquet, AUL presented Rich Lowry, National Review editor-in-chief, with the “Victor G. Rosenblum Pro-Life Champion Award.” Mark Miller, AUL board member, praised Lowry and National Review for their unwavering commitment to the pro-life cause for over 60 years, continuing the legacy of the magazine’s founder, William F. Buckley, Jr.

Aden noted that the summit speakers and scholars all spoke of the “‘principle of equal protection’—the understanding that all human persons deserve the equal protection of the law, and most importantly, the right to live. Whenever that principle is expressed in state legislation, Congressional legislation, or the courts, respect for human life moves forward.” 

Regarding the future of the pro-life movement, the summit provided a roadmap for how pro-life advocacy can evolve in the coming year. Overall, the discussions reinforced the need for sustained and multi-faceted efforts. From legal reforms to cultural engagement, AUL argued that the pro-life movement must be proactive in creating a future to protect the rights of the preborn under the law.

Lydia Poe is a junior from Kansas City, studying finance and management. She sorely misses her daily coffee chats. Kindly reserve your spot at lpoe01@saintmarys.edu—she’d love to make you a caffè latte.

Photo Credit: Americans United for Life

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