By, Vince Torres, President & Executive Director
The most important pro-life votes you will cast this year are for…
Your New Mexico State Senator and State Representative — these are the most important pro-life votes you will cast this year, and this is why.
Following the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump nominated federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. With hearings on the nomination scheduled for next week, it is expected that Judge Barrett will receive a confirmation vote in the Senate before election day on November 3rd.
For the pro-life movement, this nomination and pending confirmation represents perhaps the most significant moment in our history since the infamous Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Legal scholars have previously suggested that the addition of one more pro-life Justice may finally pave the way for the Court to overturn Roe, and many believe Judge Barrett is that Justice.
What does this have to do with your State Senator and State Representative?
If Roe is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, and absent the enactment of any federal legislation, the authority to regulate or end abortion will most likely revert to the states — meaning the future of abortion in New Mexico would sit largely with our State Legislature and Governor. This scenario is particularly thought-provoking in our state given the existence of a 1969 abortion law still on the books. The law, which among other things limits abortions to cases of rape and incest, and to protect the life of the mother, is currently dormant in part because of Roe. If Roe is overturned, however, the law may become enforceable.
It was this scenario which prompted Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democratic leaders in the State Legislature to try and repeal the law during the 2019 Legislative Session. Ultimately, their efforts stalled when eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans to defeat the measure. This setback did not, however, deter the abortion industry and many Democratic leaders. They immediately targeted and defeated five of the eight pro-life Senate Democrats in the June 2020 primary, and Governor Lujan Grisham publicly stated, “The second we have the votes in the Senate, that antiquated, absolutely outrageous law is gone.”
A Worst-Case Scenario
Unless we elect pro-life majorities in the New Mexico State Senate and House of Representatives this November, Democratic leaders in the Legislature and the Governor will repeal the existing abortion law. And if that law is repealed, an overturning of Roe will mean nothing for New Mexico. Abortion will in fact remain legal and largely unregulated, as it is now. A repeal will also remove existing conscience protections which could lead to the firing of medical personnel who refuse to perform abortions on the basis of moral or religious beliefs. This section of the law is currently in effect and serves as a necessary protection to uphold the First Amendment rights of doctors and medical staff.
A Better-Case Scenario
But imagine this scenario: we elect pro-life majorities in the New Mexico State Senate and House of Representatives, and immediately work to update and improve the existing law. Under new pro-life leadership, we transition from defense to offense and begin the process of reversing the culture of death in our state.
When it comes to life, the stakes have never been higher, and this is why the most important pro-life votes you will cast this year are for your State Senator and State Representative. And while you are at it, go ahead and support all our pro-life candidates up and down the ballot.
This year, we have made it easy for you to know who our pro-life candidates are with the recent release of our Election 2020 Pro-Life Candidate Slate. Please print, forward, and share this information far and wide.
The future of the pro-life movement is up to us, and this November, we can use our vote to protect babies in the womb throughout New Mexico and our nation.
Together, let’s vote like lives depend on it — because they do!