A congregation of key evangelical Christian figures of the Republican Party are gathering to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the repeal of Roe v. Wade. This event was hosted by the Faith & Freedom Coalition at their yearly conference.
In anticipation of the 2024 Presidential election, Republican presidential hopefuls are campaigning for tighter abortion laws and many were present at the conference. This was in spite of Democratic claims that the abortion issue will offer them an edge in the coming election.
Former Vice President Mike Pence gave his address stating:
“The battle for life is far from over. We’ve not come to the end of our cause,” He continued, “We’ve simply come to the end of the beginning.” Pence advocated for, at the least, a nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks of gestation.
Former President Donald Trump, whose Supreme Court appointees enabled the revocation of nationwide abortion rights, is scheduled to deliver the main address on Saturday night. Several of Trump’s political adversaries, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, will also be present at the conference on Friday.
Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, told the attendants:
We’re certainly going to do everything that we can, as an organization and as a pro-life and pro-family movement, to give our candidates a little bit of a testosterone booster shot and explain to them that they should not be on the defensive,” Reed said in an interview before the conference began. “Those who are afraid of it need to, candidly, grow a backbone.”
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden planned a counter-rally with abortion rights activists not far from the conference location, highlighting the significance of this issue for both political factions.
