There are some states in this country that are more religious than others. The residents in these states seem to care more about traditional values and America’s Christian heritage. It should come as no surprise that these states also care more about the value of life.
Many God-fearing Christians hold the view that life begins at conception and that human beings are made in the image of God. They are also against physician-assisted suicide and feel it’s important to protect life at every stage. So when it comes to states that are more religious than others, it makes sense that these are the states that also tend to be more pro-life.
Since 2006, a pro-life legal team called Americans United for Life (AUL) has come out with what it calls its “Life List.” Each state on the list gets ranked according to legislative and policy issues concerning abortion, bio-ethics, and end-of-life issues. To help compile the annual list, AUL looks at laws that were passed in each state over the course of the previous year concerning abortion, the protection of unborn victims from violence, embryonic stem cell research and other biotechnological issues, end-of-life issues, and laws that protect the conscience of health care providers when it comes to things like whether or not they are forced to dispense life-ending medications.
According to the 2018 Life List, the following 10 states are considered the most pro-life and best states to live as a God-fearing Christian:
1. Arizona
2. Arkansas
3. Oklahoma
4. Louisiana
5. Kansas
6. South Dakota
7. Mississippi
8. Georgia
9. Michigan
10. Missouri
This list looks a little different from the previous year as Oklahoma held the covetous number one ranking for both 2016 and 2017. In 2017, Kansas ranked number two followed by Louisiana, Arkansas, and Arizona.
Some of the reasons Arizona has become the most pro-life state in the country include: it has made getting an ultrasound a requirement before going through with an abortion, women must receive mandatory counseling and wait 24 hours afterward before terminating their pregnancy, and anyone under 18 must obtain parental consent before having an abortion. The state has also put health insurance restrictions in place so that abortion is covered only in certain instances. They also restrict Medicaid from covering abortions.
Here are the 10 states that are considered the least pro-life and the worst states to live in as a God-fearing Christian:
41. Hawaii
42. Massachusetts
43. Connecticut
44. New York
45. Nevada
46. Oregon
47. New Jersey
48. Vermont
49. California
50. Washington
The state of Washington has been at the very bottom of the list, ranked dead-last for nine years in a row. This is largely in part because women and their children have the fewest number of legal protections.
Oregon was the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide, and three other states ranked on the bottom of the Life List, including Washington, California, and Vermont also allow physician-assisted suicide. The two other states in the country that allow it include Montana (ranked number 40) and Colorado (ranked number 29).
The very same 10 states were at the bottom of the list last year, which means these states continue to be places that do little to protect life in each of its stages. While this might seem disheartening, the good news is, much is being done across the country to protect life.
According to Catherine Glenn Foster, AUL President and CEO, “Overall, at least 19 states adopted more than 60 life-affirming measures in 2017, making it the most productive pro-life year since 2013. Some of the most significant abortion-related measures in 2017 included late-term abortion limitations, prohibitions on abortions based on sex, and genetic abnormalities, ultrasound requirements, and financial or other support for abortion alternatives. In addition, states fought back against the physician assisted suicide movement, defeating every attempt to legalize physician assisted suicide, as well as passing proactive prohibitions to protect the elderly, disabled, and vulnerable.”
Americans United for Life (AUL) has been defending human life since 1971 and has been involved in every life-related case before the Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade. The vision of AUL is to have “a nation in which everyone is welcomed in life and protected in law.”
Charmaine Yoest, the former President and CEO of AUL was appointed by President Trump as the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Public Affairs, which is where she currently serves.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
