God's Plan

Christian anti-abortion activists are gearing up to go after birth control. And they have surprising allies.

- By Kiera Butler

IN MARCH, I traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, to attend the 51st annual conference of the anti-abortion group Heartbeat International. Early on a Tuesday morning, I arrived in the lobby of a Hyatt Regency hotel to pick up my badge. Hundreds of attendees-almost all women-stood in line with me, buzzing with anticipation for sessions on why abortion is linked to sex trafficking, how to get your crisis pregnancy center into local public schools, and healing a feminist culture. Even though the Supreme Court's draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade hadn't yet been leaked, there was palpable excitement about the growing political momentum behind their cause. They needed only point to the court's new conservative supermajority and the success of various state-level heartbeat bills outlawing abortion six weeks after conception.

The conference leaders, however, warned that even with Roe seemingly on its last legs, it was not time to claim victory. After the demise of Roe, there would still be much work to be done. Indeed, Post-Roe was the theme of the executive roundtable session, where heads of anti-abortion groups came together to strategize about the next frontier for their winning movement. Among the conference attendees, some talked about targeting abortion pills, which are readily available on the internet. Others mused about what it might take to restrict abortion in left-leaning states.