Moving Forward Into 2023, Energized by the Victories the ACLJ Achieved Over the Past Year

It seems hard to believe, but we’re really just hours away from another brand-new year. Many of us are still trying to figure out where 2022 went. Jordan and I have the good fortune of being able to look back on a long string of major victories throughout this last year that the ACLJ was able to help achieve.

There’s no way to reflect on the victories of 2022 without starting with what was easily the most historic win, perhaps in the history of the ACLJ. Of course we’re referring to the historic Supreme Court decision which resulted in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that manufactured a right to abortion. Even under the abortion-loving Biden Administration and the radical Left, the Supreme Court sent the world a decisive message: There is no, and there has never been, a right in the Constitution to take the life of a defenseless unborn baby.

But as every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the Supreme Court’s decision only activated the radical Left, who – just as we’d warned for months before the Dobbs opinion – took the battle to the individual states, filing lawsuits in state courts across the nation to try to enshrine the “right” to abortion into the states’ constitutions. But they forgot the ACLJ has been defending innocent babies and the rights of pro-life workers and volunteers across these United States for decades. This past year was no exception, and we racked up a number of legal victories in our battle to defend the unborn.

We told you how, after a new Tennessee law passed limiting abortions after a baby’s heartbeat could be detected and prohibiting doctors from knowingly performing abortions that target unborn children because of their race, sex, or Down syndrome status, members of the abortion industry (including Planned Parenthood) sued the state.

The ACLJ filed amicus curiae briefs in support of the statute, here and here. We argued for Tennessee’s right to prohibit selective abortion once there is evidence of a fetal heartbeat or in cases where an abortion is sought for discriminatory reasons, such as to abort a child who may have a disability diagnosis. Shortly after we celebrated Dobbs, we were able to celebrate the injunction against the Tennessee pro-life law being vacated, enabling the state to protect unborn babies as it sees fit – as it should have been all along.

We also told you how the ACLJ had agreed to represent South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and the State of South Dakota in their battles against the abortion giant Planned Parenthood, which filed a lawsuit against the state’s pro-life law requiring counseling before obtaining an abortion. It simply required abortionists to present every patient with options and education. How could that possibly be a bad thing? Fortunately, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with us that this did not violate the Constitution and vacated the injunction that was keeping the South Dakota law from going into effect.

These were both decisive victories in our ongoing fight to defend innocent unborn babies, but we want you to really consider the common thread in both examples for a moment: The radical Left’s devotion to abortion is such that it is willing to block a state’s right to self-govern. That should scare all of us, particularly as we enter this new year.

One thing we can assure you is the ACLJ is going into 2023 with our eyes wide open, and we are prepared, not only for the legal battles we’re already engaged in as they carry over into the new year, but those new challenges we can’t even anticipate yet. But rest assured, the ACLJ legal department is rarely reactionary. We are prepared. These victories in Tennessee and South Dakota, as well as wins in states like Ohio and South Carolina, are only the beginning. We won’t stop until we’ve assured the safety of every unborn baby in every state, from coast to coast.

This was just a sampling of a few of the many victories we achieved this year. The ACLJ scored major wins for religious liberty – even defending the rights of school children against Leftist school administrators. Around the world, we fought to defend the rights of persecuted, abused, and dying Christians.

Pakistan in particular has made it too easy to persecute – and even execute – Christians. We were able to work with our affiliate on the ground in Pakistan to help rescue a Christian family – including SIX CHILDREN – from abusive forced labor. We were also able to work on the ground in Pakistan to help save another Christian man who’d been forced into involuntary servitude. These are victories to be celebrated, but we know that we have much work ahead in Pakistan if we’re going to save innocent Christians.

None of these or any of the many victories we achieved this year would have been possible without the steadfast prayers and unwavering support of our ACLJ members. You should celebrate every victory you enabled us to achieve in 2022.

Now as we look to the coming year, we are reminded of Isaiah 41:10 which empowers us to march forward into 2023 with confidence:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

No matter what happens in the new year, the ACLJ will meet every challenge. We’re prepared and ready to fight thanks to the support of our ACLJ members behind us.

On behalf of our family and the entire ACLJ team, we want to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year.