Roe v. Wade was still the law of the land until a year ago Saturday. The people and their representatives at all levels of government had little ability to protect life.

Now, nearly 25 states have enacted laws to protect babies between conception and 12 weeks. We reached this milestone before the first anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization thanks to incredible momentum within the course of 10 days last month.

On May 16, the General Assembly in my home state of North Carolina established a 12-week protection for unborn children through a veto override. The victory came despite Gov. Roy Cooper’s effort to bully four Republicans into siding with him, which culminated in a rally on Mother’s Day weekend to keep late-term abortions in North Carolina. Thank goodness he failed, due to courageous lawmakers holding the line.