Fifty years, fifty leaders

After the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger was surprised that the pro-life movement didn’t do more to celebrate. He wanted to produce something permanent to honor the many leaders who had worked tirelessly toward Roe’s reversal. A colleague came up with the idea of a commemorative book. From that grew the 12-by-12-inch volume Legacy of Life, edited by Stemberger and released this summer.

Although it lacks vivid storytelling and journalistic rigor, the book is a touching homage to towering figures and behind-the-scenes leaders in the fight to protect unborn children.

The 115-page book contains tributes to 50 of the top pro-life leaders since the 1973 Roe decision. Among the honorees are well-known names such as March for Life founder Nellie Gray, former abortionist Bernard Nathanson, and Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins. Others are lesser-known names including Bryan Kemper, Jason Jones, and John Ensor. Each tribute and accompanying photographs span a two-page spread. The result is 50 well-designed spreads, although some of the photos are too low-resolution for the massive page size.

The 48 authors include movement lawyers, teachers, activists, and politicians. Most are not storytellers by trade, and some have close ties with the leaders they profile. The result is that many of the tributes read like embroidered letters of recommendation rather than engaging profiles.

In its focus on honoring leaders, the book also glosses over questionable theology and moral failings. The latter is true of the tribute to Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, for example, who divorced his wife of almost 20 years and married his former assistant. Stemberger acknowledges in the introduction that many of the figures are “controversial” and have “experienced moral failure or have faced unseemly allegations,” but the result is still a somewhat incomplete history.

The strength of the book comes in the occasional personal memories the authors share of the figures they write about. Many express a tender fondness for mentors in the movement or young activists whom they watched grow into leaders. The pages also memorialize several unsung heroes for the next generation of pro-lifers—and include lesser-known tidbits about the history of the movement. For example, readers will learn about the former abortion worker turned pro-life leader who preceded Abby Johnson and the man who spearheaded undercover investigations of Planned Parenthood before David Daleiden.

Legacy of Life is not a book to sit down with and read cover to cover, nor one to rely on for your next research paper. But it will likely appeal to longtime pro-life activists as honoring to their peers and forebears—and to young pro-life students eager for inspiration.