CNA Staff, Jun 13, 2025 / 13:48 pm
Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.
Gallup poll shows increase in pro-life values
Pro-life sentiment has increased slightly from 2024 to 2025, a recent Gallup poll found.
The poll found a slight increase in those who identify as pro-life (41% to 43%) while those who identify as pro-choice fell from 54% to 51%. The survey also saw slight increases in those who say abortion is morally wrong and those who say abortion should be legal in only a few or no circumstances. Both categories were up by 3 percentage points from last year.
The poll found that 57% of women found abortion morally acceptable compared with 40% of men. But for both men and women, support for abortion decreased. Fewer women and fewer men found abortion morally acceptable, with percentage points decreasing by 3 for women and by 7 for men.
Michael New, a senior associate scholar at the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute and assistant professor of practice at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America, called the results “good news for the pro-life movement.”
New noted that the results of the poll contradict the “mainstream media narrative” that pro-choice sentiment has shot up since the Dobbs decision leaked in May 2022.
“Since May 2021, the percentage of people identifying as ‘pro-choice’ has only increased by 2 percentage points,” he told CNA. “Other Gallup survey questions also show only a relatively slight increase in support for legal abortion.”
Historically, a majority of respondents have said they believe abortion should be legal only in a few circumstances or not at all, according to Gallup data going back to 1995. In 2022, in the wake of Dobbs, more people said abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances. Since 2022, that number has begun to go down.
New said the rising pro-life sentiment is “especially noteworthy because 2024 could have been a difficult year for pro-lifers.”
“Kamala Harris made legal abortion the centerpiece of her presidential campaign,” he said. “Furthermore, Donald Trump did not support federal pro-life legislation. President Trump also did not make a strong case for existing pro-life laws during the 2024 campaign.”
Man charged with murder, accused of spiking pregnant girlfriend’s drink with abortion drug
A 38-year-old man faces capital murder charges after allegedly causing an abortion by spiking his girlfriend’s drink.
The alleged victim, an unidentified woman, reported to police in Parker County, Texas, that her boyfriend added the abortion drug to her drink, forcing her to have an abortion without her knowledge or consent.
When the alleged victim told her boyfriend she was pregnant in September 2024, she said she wanted to keep the baby. The suspect, Justin Anthony Banta, disagreed, saying he would pay for the abortion pills, according to a press release by the Parker County Sheriff’s Office.
On Oct. 17, at six weeks pregnant, her ultrasound showed that the baby had a strong heartbeat and good vital signs. That same day, she met Banta at a coffee shop, where she believes he added abortion pills to her drink.
The next day, she went to the emergency room because of heavy bleeding and exhaustion. On Oct. 19, her unborn baby died.
Police have not only charged Banta with capital murder but also with tampering with evidence.
Police arrested Banta on June 6 and confiscated his cellphone for evidence. Banta, who works for the Department of Justice’s IT department, allegedly tampered with the phone from afar, deleting crucial evidence, according to investigators.
Banta posted $500,000 bail and was released, and he and his lawyers have denied the allegations.
Montana Supreme Court strikes down abortion restrictions
The Montana Supreme Court struck down three abortion regulations in a 6-1 ruling this week.
The court on Monday repealed a law prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks’ gestation as well as two safety regulations surrounding chemical abortions: a measure that required pregnant women to have an ultrasound before having an abortion and a law requiring women to have an in-person visit with a doctor before taking abortion pills.
These laws had been passed in 2021, but a lower court had put the laws on hold that same year. Last November, Montana established a constitutional right to abortion.
Iowa governor signs fetal learning bill for schools
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill requiring schools to teach grades 5–12 about the humanity of unborn children.
The bill incorporates pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curricula provided by school districts and charter schools. The law explicitly prohibits materials created by abortion businesses such as Planned Parenthood or any abortion-related materials at all.
Similar bills have been proposed in Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Arizona. Tennessee and Idaho recently passed similar laws requiring fetal development to be taught in schools.
DePaul disbands Planned Parenthood-affiliated group
A Catholic university in Illinois disbanded a pro-abortion group affiliated with Planned Parenthood, saying it conflicted with Church teaching.
DePaul University in Chicago disbanded the group Planned Parenthood Generation Action at the school. It had formed during the 2022-2023 school year.
The university said in a statement that it does not allow student groups to affiliate with outside organizations “whose core missions are in direct conflict with the values and teachings of the Catholic Church. Planned Parenthood falls into this category.”
A spokesperson noted that the school remains “committed to supporting student-led dialogue on important issues, including reproductive health.”
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