In a recent column in The Daily Wire, Care Net President and CEO Roland Warren warns against depending on purely political solutions in the aftermath of the 2022 Dobbs Supreme Court decision.
Despite the historic victory for life that was won when Roe v. Wade was overturned, Roland reveals a dramatic cultural shift that has occurred in the last three years.
“Did we declare victory too soon?” he asks.
In his assessment of the two major political parties, Roland notes that while the Democratic stance on abortion has not changed since 2012 (“abortion on demand, anytime, for any reason”), the Republican Party platform no longer affirms the fundamental right to life or supports a Human Life Amendment, only opposing late-term abortions (less than 2% of cases).
“Here’s the inconvenient truth: when you consider the abortion issue based on both parties’ platforms, both are essentially pro-choice now — one has no exceptions, the other has some. The debate isn’t about bans anymore; it’s about abortion availability.”
“This shift undermines two core pro-life convictions: human life begins at conception and is worthy of protection, and a baby’s value isn’t determined by conception circumstances. A weeks-based approach — negotiating when it’s acceptable to end a life — compromises these convictions. This should be as non-negotiable as saying it’s wrong to kill an innocent outside the womb.”
In his column, Roland also notes how a “weeks-based approach” to abortion compromises core convictions: “I can’t think of a successful movement — religious, political, or social — where this approach worked.”
Although grateful for pro-life Republicans working to support women at risk for abortion, and for Dobbs, Roland warns that those efforts are muted if the national policy tolerates most abortions. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortions are up, more states have loosened their restrictions on abortion than tightened them, and public opinion has shifted in a pro-choice direction.
“The politics of abortion don’t change its morality,” he wrote. “In 2012, Republicans had a measure of clarity. I hope they regain it, and Democrats find it because vulnerable lives are at stake.”
In addition to the needed shift politically, Roland also calls for a shift among the Christian community, lamenting the fact that Catholics and Protestants voted yes at rates mirroring the broader culture in a 2023 Ohio ballot initiative that made abortion a constitutional right.
“Culture shapes politics, and religion shapes culture,” he writes. “If you lose the pews, you lose at the polls.”
In his latest book, The Alternative to Abortion: Why We Must Be Pro-Abundant Life, Roland calls for a more holistic approach to abortion, outlining a blueprint for compassion, transformation, and discipleship, drawn from 12 years of leading Care Net, a network of 1,200 pregnancy centers across the United States.
Care Net “envisions a culture where women and men faced with pregnancy decisions are transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and empowered to choose life for their unborn children and abundant life for their families.”
Three years ago, Roland called the Dobbs decision “a monumental day in our efforts to protect the unborn,” but also stressed how Care Net’s work would become more critical than ever.
“Regardless of how the laws of our land play out over the next several years, women and men will continue to face tough pregnancy decisions,” Roland said. “Changed laws don’t equal changed hearts. The Supreme Court can’t outlaw unplanned, unexpected, and unexpectedly complicated pregnancies.”