Coming in first this year for the fourth year in a row is America's most pro-life state: Arkansas. The state maintained existing protections for life and enacted an additional nine life-protecting laws. But Arkansas is facing challenges for the top slot from numerous other states, including Mississippi, South Dakota, and Florida. After being the biggest mover of last year, Florida jumped another six spots with the addition of a Heartbeat law.
Overall, in the past year, the states have been very active in considering life-related policy, much for the good, some to the detriment of life. Thanks to the groundwork state legislatures laid to prepare for the fall of Roe and their response thereafter, hundreds of thousands of innocent preborn lives will be saved in the coming years.
Yet Dobbs raised strong headwinds as well. In November, the people of Ohio passed Issue 1, a ballot initiative that enshrined a “right” to abortion in the state constitution, the consequences of which are yet to be seen. Montana and Wyoming worked to sharpen life-saving legal tools with strong bills affirming the value of human life while addressing lawsuits and judicial rulings. And the outcome of ongoing litigation in Arizona and elsewhere could change the pro-life landscape—and the rankings of the Life List next year.
You may click here to view the entire 2024 Life List.
Sincerely,
