By Catholic News Service

DALLAS (CNS) — The executive director of the March 25 National Prayer Luncheon for Life said the pro-life movement is “very hopeful” the U.S. Supreme Court will soon overturn Roe.

And pro-lifers are ready for what comes next because this will not “end abortion in America,” said Karen Garnett.

“The pro-life movement is prepared to fight abortion in each state,” she said in an interview with Catholic News Service via email. “The court will send the issue back to the states, and every state will make the determination as to how they want to address the protection of preborn human lives in their state.”

“We wish there were already a Human Life Amendment ensuring that no preborn child could be killed by abortion in any state, but that is not where we are,” she added.

The high court is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade in its forthcoming ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case involving Mississippi’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The decision is expected in June or July.

“It is our understanding that 26 states already have plans to restrict abortion, with 12 having ‘trigger bans’ in place to outlaw abortion upon the reversal of Roe. But that still leaves many states with liberal abortion laws,” Garnett said.

She said the court also is likely to overturn its 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which prohibited regulations that created an “undue burden” on women seeking an abortion.

Thousands are expected to participate in the upcoming prayer luncheon. It will take place online from noon to 1 p.m. (CDT) at https://nationalprayerluncheonforlife.org. It is being livestreamed from Grapevine, Texas. There is no cost to participants.

A limited number of people will attend the event in person at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine.

The luncheon also will showcase the work of six pro-life organizations that have been nominated to receive the 2022 Pro-Life Impact Award and a grant. Winners will be chosen through online voting and will be announced at the end of the program.

The nominees are: Embrace Grace, Live Action, Pro-Life Action League, ProLove Ministries, Support After Abortion and The Radiance Foundation.

Information about each organization and a link to vote is available at https://nationalprayerluncheonforlife.org/2022-nominees. Voting ends at midnight (PDT) March 22.

Students for Life of America took home the 2021 National Prayer Luncheon for Life Pro-Life Impact Award and the organization’s president, Kristan Hawkins, will be on hand to help honor the 2022 winner.

Besides Hawkins, speakers at the March 25 event will include Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, Sister Dierdre Byrne, a member of the Sisters of the Little Workers of the Sacred Heart in Washington; the Rev. Walter Hoye II, president of the Issues4Life Foundation; the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; and David Bereit, founder and former CEO of 40 Days for Life.

The annual prayer luncheon, which began in 2016, was the idea of Brian Follett, founder of Heroic Media, which is a main sponsor of the event.

Heroic Media, where Garnett is vice president of culture, designs and runs professionally made online ads that connect women considering abortion to pro-life facilities that save babies’ lives. It raises money to place the ads, its website says.

Contrary to what the “pro-choice” movement claims, that pro-lifers only care about “saving babies” and don’t care about women, Garnett told CNS that “the pro-life movement — comprised of thousands of organizations across the country — is committed to loving them both!”

“There are nearly 3,000 pregnancy help centers, and hundreds of maternity homes, plus Gabriel Projects and Embrace Grace groups across the country to serve women who are in need of assistance,” she said.

One example, she said, is ProLove Ministries’ LoveLine project is a digital “pro-life social services ministry” serving thousands of women across the country with financial assistance and financial coaching. “Scholarships are being given to help empower mothers to further their education,” she added.

After the court hands down its decision in Dobbs, pro-life work “will continue in each state to serve pregnant mothers and to try to stop every abortion from happening,” said Garnett, who lives in Dallas. Her family belongs to Sts. Monica and Rita parishes.

“It will not be easy! But we are resilient. We’ve already been fighting hard for 49 years, and we know that we cannot stop until abortion stops,” she said. “We envision that, as more and more states outlaw abortion entirely, those of us in those states will ‘come alongside’ and join forces with those who are continuing to fight in their States.”

Changing hearts and minds about abortion is part of the battle, she said, “but we are seeing tangible results.”

Garnett said groups such as Live Action and Students for Life of America “have huge digital reaches, and they are excellent at tracking the metrics of minds actually changed from pro-abortion to pro-life.”

“For many,” she added, “it’s a matter of being shown the truth of fetal development, and what abortion actually is.”