Action Alert
Catholics around the world are mourning the death of Pope Francis and anxiously awaiting the conclave that will bring us a new pope. We know that, when the cardinals meet, the Holy Spirit guides their decision. We pray that the cardinals prayerfully listen and choose a man who will become a strong and courageous leader.
We, the faithful, are not powerless in this process. Our prayers are heard by God, and they do make a difference. So we ask you to join us in a novena asking the intercession of Our Lady of Hope and praying for a courageous and faithful new pontiff.
We will begin the novena on Monday. To read it in its entirety, visit all.org/guest-commentary/novena-to-our-lady-of-hope-for-a-courageous-new-pontiff. To sign up to receive daily emails reminding you of each day’s prayer, go to all.org/subscribe.
Week in Review
Legacy Pro-Life Leader Likened Pontiff’s Gentle Spirit to the ‘Attitude of Saint Francis of Assisi’
As the world mourns the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, American Life League offered words of remembrance. ALL president Judie Brown observed that Pope Francis called for global respect for life in his homily during this past New Year’s Day Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. She said:
Pope Francis loved life. He began this new year with a message urging, “May we learn to care for every child born of a woman, above all by protecting, like Mary, the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying.” His commitment to the nurturing aspects of motherhood was a fundamental characteristic of his papacy.
Pope Francis once told an audience that we are called to counter the current “culture of indifference” that afflicts many societies with a “culture of providence.”
This was his consistent theme as he strove to embrace the preborn, the poor, the downtrodden, and those who thought all hope was lost. In his words of hope and affirmation, he reflected the attitude of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Pope Francis taught the world the value of suffering by living with many ailments during his final months. He bore his cross with love for the Lord. May his gentle spirit continue to light the world with hope and comfort.
May his soul, and the souls of the faithfully departed, rest in peace!
Guttmacher Institute’s Annual Abortion Study Reveals That Abortions Done by Pills Are on the Rise
The Guttmacher Institute released its annual abortion report numbers last week, revealing that abortions increased in states without abortion restrictions by less than 1% from 2023 to 2024.
The Guttmacher Institute claims that around 1,038,100 “clinician-provided abortions” were performed in 2024. Clinician-provided means abortions performed either surgically or via abortion pills that were prescribed by a licensed abortionist in an abortion facility or via telehealth. The pro-abortion institute went on to say that it excluded “self-managed abortions, such as those using medications mailed from pharmacies outside the United States. Evidence suggests self-managed abortions have increased since Dobbs.”
The report examines the factors regarding why abortion numbers have increased in these states without abortion restrictions. Guttmacher reported that, to get abortions, women in states with abortion restrictions are continuing to travel to states that have little-to-no abortion restrictions. Sadly, the report shows that states such as Virginia, Arizona, California, Kansas, and Ohio have seen large increases in out-of-state visitors traveling to get abortions. However, Guttmacher’s report indicates that traveling out of state for abortions has seen an overall decline from 16% to 15% within the year.
What is crucial to note is Guttmacher Institute’s recognition of the role of online or virtual health visits for abortion pills and that these numbers have risen every year in the United States since 2020. The report states the following:
Online-only, or virtual, clinics have come to play an important role in abortion access. In 2024, they accounted for 14% of clinician-provided abortions in states without total bans, an increase from 10% in 2023. Nationally, the share of abortions provided via online-only clinics is almost certainly higher than this, as the 14% estimate does not include shield law provision into states with total abortion bans (emphasis added).
Further into the report, Guttmacher states: “At the state level, medication abortions accounted for the majority of abortions in nearly all US states without a total ban, ranging from 44% in Washington, DC and 46% in Ohio to 95% in Wyoming and 84% in Montana. These estimates do not include self-managed abortions or abortions occurring in states with total bans” (emphasis added).
As American Life League pointed out in its 2024 abortion pill report, abortion pills can be accessed in all 50 states and US territories despite the state’s restrictions, due to both shield laws and the FDA’s 2023 ruling, which permitted the mailing of abortion pills. Because the federal government does not monitor the abortion pills that are shipped into this country from non-FDA-approved sources, the numbers given in reports such as this one from Guttmacher only scratch the surface of how many preborn babies are killed through abortion in the US each year.
Though some reports from both pro-abortion and pro-life sources are saying that this slightly less than 1% increase in abortions is minimal or insignificant, the Guttmacher report does highlight (whether intentionally or not) that abortion numbers are not accurate in accounting for all abortions, due to lack of reporting regarding all abortions done by pill.
ALL in the News
American Family News published an article that referenced both American Life League’s abortion pill report and ALL’s latest statement on the Guttmacher Institute’s abortion numbers. You can read the article here.
Breitbart also published an article referencing ALL’s Katie Brown Xavios’ statement on the Guttmacher Institute abortion pill numbers. You can read the article here for more information.
Susan Ciancio, editor of Celebrate Life Magazine and director of the Culture of Life Studies Program—ALL’s pre-K-12 pro-life education program—wrote an article about Roadmap to Reality, a new film about St. Carlo Acutis. You can read it in the Catholic World Report. She also wrote blog post about two ways that families can learn more about Carlo. You can read this on our website!
The Winter 2025 issue of Celebrate Life Magazine is officially out! Catch up on all the articles online here.
Twice a week, Judie’s commentaries are distributed to an expansive media list. The list contains over 100 media outlets such as Fox News, The Federalist, Breitbart, and The Daily Caller, among others. Judie’s commentaries are each featured on the front page of ALL.org.
Pro-Life Education
Culture of Life Studies Program
St. Carlo Acutis: Extraordinary in the Ordinary teaches high school students about the short yet impactful life of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint. Carlo used his exceptional computer skills to create a website cataloging the Catholic Church’s approved Eucharistic miracles and is a beautiful example of how living an ordinary life can become extraordinary because of faith, love of Jesus in the Eucharist, and generosity toward others. This downloadable booklet reinforces kids’ understanding of and faith in the true presence of the Eucharist, teaches them that holiness can and should be attained through ordinary things, and guides them as they seek to live a holy life and build a culture that respects all people. ORDER HERE
ALL’s Education Materials
Saving Those Damned Catholics: A Defense of Catholic Teaching: With wit, insight, and a fearless presentation of facts, Judie Brown, president of American Life League, examines the dissidents who have betrayed the Catholic Church’s teachings on abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and human embryonic stem cell research. This is a must-read in today’s culture! SHOP NOW
Pro-Life Social Media
Florida Democrat Opposes Human Fetal Development in Public Schools
The Marxist lawmakers running our state legislatures aren’t shy about educating schoolchildren about drag shows, sex toys, and every other sexual perversion known to man. Any attempts to introduce the biological realities of human fetal development, however, cause pro-abortion legislators to foam at the mouth with rage.
Florida is proposing that human development be taught to schoolchildren in grades 6-12. One Democratic lawmaker took to the House floor to oppose it:
No doubt there are Florida parents who don’t share the opinion that school-aged children be taught that gender is fluid or that homosexuality is just as diverse as being left-handed. What Skidmore really opposes are opinions that are different from hers.
Marxist have problem with truth…period. They will say and do anything to further their narrative and where they want to take society. It’s not rocket science. We just need some stones and call them what they are…
— Mark Busch (@realmarkbusch) April 23, 2025
So she has a problem with teaching actual “Science” you know BIOLOGY…..I bet she has absolutely no problem with forcing trans-indoctrination books on children in the schools though!!
— Simon Sez (@Bumper501136) April 23, 2025
It is Skidmore’s opinion that “life begins at conception” is an opinion. We know that it’s actually a fact.
How can you have a problem showing any child how important and beautiful they are since before they were born?
— RozPB(@BasilissaRoz) April 24, 2025
Because these lawmakers want their children to have the option to kill their grandchildren. Very sad.