Who Trusts the Pro-Life Movement?

n November 7, 2023, Ohio voters amended their state constitution to include a broad right to abortion. The vote was decisive: 57 percent of the population cast their ballots in favor of the amendment, while only 43 percent voted against it. What precipitated this lopsided outcome in this increasingly red state in the American heartland? The initial response of pro-life activists points to a mismatch of power. They note (correctly) that they were outspent. They argue (less correctly) that the messaging of their pro-choice opponents was more manipulative than their own. Later, as the scale of the defeat sinks in, many pro-life activists will blame the voters themselves for their underlying moral depravity. Indeed, that blame game has already begun.