State Legislative Roundup "A Depth and a Quality".(right to life legislation at state level, United States)

With state legislatures adjourned, it is time to ask the perennial question: how did pro-lifers fare?

From the vantage point of NRLC Director of State Legislation Mary Spaulding Balch, the 2003 legislative cycle was exceedingly productive, made even more so by the fact that there was real movement in historically difficult states.

"The quality of legislation was exceedingly high this time `round," Balch said. "All pro-life laws help, but some have exceptional potential to save lives immediately."

What accounts for the successes? A lot of things came together, Balch said, and pro-lifers were quick to take full advantage of the confluence.

"To begin with, there are simply a lot more pro-lifers in state legislatures than ever before," Balch said. Greater numbers help not just in proposing legislation, but also in helping to sidestep or leap over pro-abortion hurdles and to override potential gubernatorial vetoes.

"And if we take the state I live in, Virginia, as but one example, there have been a number of lawmakers elected recently for whom abortion is the number one priority," Balch said. "Abortion is their burning issue."

Such passion is crucial, especially in providing the necessary motivation and stamina needed to break the inevitable logjams that crop up as sessions approach their end.