A new initiative aims to unite and strengthen the pro-life movement with the goal of making abortion “unavailable and unthinkable.” A group of pro-life philanthropists in the United States has launched a $30 million Pro-Life Venture Fund to support projects that advance the pro-life cause and protect the dignity of the unborn, according to its founder.
The newly formed Life Leadership Conference was formally announced on February 18 and is set to serve as a strategic coalition within the pro-life movement. The initiative’s executive director, David Bereit, emphasized that the conference intends to “reduce overlap and redundancies among pro-life groups and create ‘a team dedicated to advancing the entirety of the movement,'” according to CNA.
A Unified Approach to Protecting Life
The pro-life movement has long been comprised of various organizations working toward a common cause, but often with fragmented efforts. Bereit believes this new initiative will provide much-needed unity.
“This is what the pro-life movement has needed, in my opinion, for decades,” Bereit told CNA. Although still in its early stages, the Life Leadership Conference has already garnered support from major pro-life figures, including Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society, Princeton professor Robert George, and retired businessman Ray Ruddy.
The coalition will seek to include both well-established pro-life nonprofits and emerging pro-life leaders. “[We need to] bring our very best efforts to solving one of the greatest cultural problems,” Bereit said.
Responding to the Post-Dobbs Landscape
Following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022, which allowed states to restrict abortion, the pro-life movement has seen both victories and challenges. While legislation has succeeded in restricting abortion in many states, the movement has faced setbacks when abortion is placed on state ballots.
“More people are — in general — opposed to what they perceive to be the pro-life movement’s position at this moment in time than they were five to ten years ago,” Bereit acknowledged. “We can’t keep operating in a pre-Dobbs world.”
According to Bereit, pro-life organizations need to “adapt to an altered landscape and new set of challenges.” Some groups have embraced new strategies, while others “are posting more losses than gains and are redefining what it means to win in ways that risk making the movement weaker and less effective.”
Building a Culture of Life
The Life Leadership Conference seeks to create a unified and effective approach to reducing abortion by providing financial support to pro-life initiatives. The Pro-Life Venture Fund will be used “on member projects that will actually reduce the killing of unborn children,” according to Bereit. The fund’s priorities include reducing the availability of abortion, engaging younger generations, and providing resources for women in crisis pregnancies.
Bereit emphasized that in addition to legislative efforts, the movement must “raise awareness about the injustice perpetrated by the abortion industry” and “strengthen [pro-life] pregnancy centers.” He also stressed the importance of educating young people, stating that they are “the target of the abortion industry.”
“We need young people educated and then able to educate their peers, and that’s going to be a major thrust of this,” Bereit said.
