Brown Pelican Society of Louisiana

Roe v. Wade was the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning a Texas anti-abortion law, which had the effect of legalizing abortion throughout the United States.  Several Human Life Amendments (aka Personhood Amendments) were drafted and proposed in Congress in the early 1970s.    One main version¹ became popular in the early 70s with  two other popular versions, the Paramount¹ and the Unity Human Life Amendment¹ being drafted over the next decade.  The target of these amendments were the United States Constitution.  (view early HLAs)

The beginning of the modern Pro-Life Movement we know today was started in the early 1980s and gained a great ally in President Ronald Reagan (see Reagan’s Proclamation).  During this time the main focus of the Pro-Life Movement was the passage of a Federal Personhood Amendment to the U.S Constitution.  It was common knowledge that the Federal Personhood Amendment was the key to overturning Roe v. Wade and abortion in America. The reason is that once you legally recognize unborn children as persons they have rights.  A Right to Life has more weight than a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions (i.e. to have an Abortion, which is how the courts view it).

Because this was so important, the Pro-Life Movement lobbied every person running for Congress and in other top leadership positions around the country to make a public stand in support of the Federal Human Life Amendment. 

Over the years more than 330 different proposals being called a Human Life Amendment have been introduced in Congress.  In over 35 years not one Human Life Amendment has gotten anywhere.  The end of the Federal Personhood Movement was over.