WASHINGTON – As President Donald Trump marks his first 100 days in office, National Right to Life praises the work the president has done on behalf of the right to life.

“We thank President Trump for his steadfast commitment to the right to life,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have been vital allies of the pro-life movement and the work the movement is doing to protect innocent preborn lives.”

Continued Tobias, “President Trump’s first actions in office include the critical undertaking of reversing the extreme pro-abortion policies of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Pro-life accomplishments of the Trump administration include:

• Enforcing the Hyde Amendment – Over the course of nearly five decades, the Hyde Amendment has saved an estimated 2.5 million lives. An Executive Order signed by President Trump reversed Biden-era Executive Orders that blatantly violated the Hyde Amendment as well as other similar riders and amendments. The Biden-era Orders reversed were: Executive Order 14076 which mandated a whole-of-government approach of protecting unlimited abortions and imposing draconian measures on violations and Executive Order 14079 which recategorized abortion as “health care.”
• Ended the Federal Funding of Abortion Overseas – President Trump reinstated Mexico City Policy and the United States also reentered the Geneva Consensus Declaration. Co-founded by the United States in 2020 under President Trump, the Declaration is a coalition of more than 30 countries united in affirming the inherent dignity of every human being, the importance of women’s health without endorsing abortion, and the sovereignty of nations to protect life through their own laws.
• Working to Stop the Federal Funding of Abortion – President Trump stopped federal funds from being used to reimburse travel expenses for abortions by the Department of Defense, stopped the Department of Veterans Affairs from allowing VA hospitals to perform abortions and stopped the Department of Health and Human Services from paying for abortions for those who entered the country illegally.
• Strongly Supports H.R. 21, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act – the White House applauded the House of Representatives for its efforts to protect the most vulnerable and prevent infanticide.
• Restored Millions in Title X Funding to Oklahoma and Tennessee – the two states were previously cut off under the Biden administration for refusing to provide abortion referrals.
• Title X Funding on Hold to Planned Parenthood Affiliates – According to an HHS spokesperson, this is “to ensure these entities are in full compliance with Federal law and applicable grant terms, and to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”
• President Trump was the first president to attend the March for Life in person during his first administration. Though unable to attend in person in 2025, the president addressed the March via video and Vice President Vance addressed the March in person.

“The Trump administration continues to protect and defend innocent human life,” said Tobias. “We look forward to seeing more great things from President Trump and Vice President Vance.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — Research released by the Ethics and Public Policy Center shows that mifepristone abortions have a complication rate far higher than the abortion industry admits.

“Every time pro-lifers want to challenge safety claims made about the abortion pill mifepristone, abortion advocates and their loyal media allies like to quote the claim of the drug’s official label from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that clinical studies showed ‘Serious adverse reactions were reported in <0.5% of women,’” said Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., director of Education and Research at National Right to Life. “New data taken from the field show figures are twenty-two times that.” 

Jamie Bryan Hall and Ryan T. Anderson, two researchers from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) looked at data from 865,727 insurance claims involving mifepristone abortions between 2017 and 2023.

The results were staggering. Counting only those with a report of significant or severe complications, EPPC researchers found 10.93% reporting sepsis, infection, hemorrhage, hospitalization, or some other issue that officially qualified as a “serious adverse event.” 

Since the data set used for the report involved the broad spectrum of women in the U.S. who obtained mifepristone abortions in 2017-2023, the real-world results probably more accurately reflect current usage and complications. 

“Women are told that the complication rate for chemical abortions is minimal but hemorrhage, infection, and failure to identify rupturing ectopic pregnancies are the realities,” said Dr. O’Bannon. “Tracking these complications became more difficult in 2016 when the FDA decided that medical personnel and facilities only need to report deaths—not the complications arising from the use of the abortion pill mifepristone.” 

The report issued by the Ethics and Public Policy Center can be found here. 

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life deeply mourns the passing of David N. O’Steen, Ph. D., who led the organization from 1984 to 2022.

“There are likely millions alive today because of Dr. David O’Steen’s influence and guidance,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “He was a humble man known for his quiet and devoted leadership, but he is a giant among those who have dedicated their lives to protecting the right to life. He will be grievously missed.”

Under Dr. O’Steen’s leadership, National Right to Life developed model legislation and spearheaded the passage of protective legislative measures such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. 

“Dr. O’Steen dedicated his life to protecting the unborn, the medically vulnerable, and the elderly,” said Tobias. “He will be remembered for his unwavering commitment.” 

Dr. David N. O’Steen was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and received his bachelor’s degree from Guilford College. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Georgia and received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Houston.

Dr. O’Steen was a professor of mathematics and later became department chairman at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. While in Duluth, he led the Duluth chapter of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL). A brilliant mathematician, in 1975, David made the personal sacrifice of leaving academics to become the executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.

In 1984, Dr. O’Steen became executive director of National Right to Life, a position he held until December 2022. Dr. O’Steen retired from his role as National Right to Life’s Senior Advisor in January 2024.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life joins with millions of faithful worldwide in mourning the death of Pope Francis who was a staunch defender of life.

“Pope Francis, like his predecessors, was a strong advocate for the value and dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “His stalwart support of the right to life was grounded in compassion and love.” 

In his New Year’s Day message, Pope Francis called upon the Church faithful to care for “every child born of a woman” including protecting “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.” Pope Francis asked “[F]or a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future.”

In a message to the Italian Movement for Life, Pope Francis wrote, “The unborn child represents, in the fullest sense, every man and woman who does not count, who has no voice.”

“Pope Francis will be remembered for his dedication to the most vulnerable among us and for championing the right to life,” said Tobias.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.