(LifeSiteNews) — More than 60 pro-life and conservative leaders and influencers want to see criminal penalties put on the table for women who have abortions.
Led by Seth Gruber and the White Rose Resistance, the “Statement in Support of Equal Rights Protection” argues that the growth in chemical abortion drugs has undermined state pro-life laws.
The signers, who include Abby Johnson, Riley Gaines, Turning Point USA commentator Alex Clark, and a number of Protestant pastors, argue that criminal penalties against women who have abortions are needed to stop the killing of innocent babies.
“Equal protection requires that anyone who knowingly and willfully takes the life of a preborn child – including principal offenders, accomplices, and co-conspirators – be subject to legal accountability,” the resolution declares.
At the same time, it leaves room for prosecutorial discretion, stating, “Just laws distinguish between those who act from ignorance, fear, or coercion and those who act with full knowledge, will, and intent.”
The statement makes two firm resolutions:
That we affirm the principle of equal protection for the preborn, recognizing that the same laws protecting born people from violence and destruction, or laws providing a substantially equivalent degree of protection must protect preborn children; and lawmakers (should) remove legal immunities that allow the intentional killing of preborn children to continue, and to enact laws that provide full and equal protection under the law from violence and destruction, from the moment of fertilization.
Other prominent signers include Mark Lee Dickson, the founder of Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn; Trevor and Christen Pollo of Protect Life Michigan; and Catherine Short, founder of Life Legal Defense Foundation.
Conservative influencers including Allie Beth Stuckey, Eric Metaxas, Kaitlin Bennet, and Maison Dechamps (“Pro-Life Spiderman”) also endorsed the statement.
Demands for penalizing women for abortions comes against the backdrop of a new report from the Society for Family Planning that finds there were approximately 1.13 million abortions in 2025. Approximately 180,000 of those were illegally committed in pro-life states, according to the pro-abortion group’s own analysis.
The statement drew interest from The New York Times, which contrasted the prevailing position among pro-life advocates that women should not be prosecuted for abortions.
The newspaper reported “a growing number of conservative leaders are starting to argue that the only way to stop women from ending their pregnancies could be to arrest them.”
The newspaper noted the idea has drawn criticism from some pregnancy center directors who allege women would be less likely to come to them for help for fear of prosecution. Abortion facility operators also oppose the penalties.
Two national pro-life organizations, meanwhile, maintain their position against penalties.
“We do not support legislation to attach criminal penalties to women and qualify them for the death penalty,” Kelsey Pritchard, communications director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told the Times. “No state pro-life law does this and that’s not changing, as not a single one of these bills has passed out of a state legislature.”
“My message is, ‘not now,’ but I’m not saying ‘not ever,'” Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, told the Times.
Still, others are passionate about the idea.
“I’m unbelievably proud to be mentioned in this NYT article,” Alex Clark wrote on X in response to the story.
“Absolutely full steam ahead on criminalizing abortion.”