OPINION
We wanted to believe most Americans would place a high priority on seeing fewer abortions. The data say otherwise.
In a new national survey of 2,317 U.S. adults, overall, only 41% rated reducing the number of abortions as "Somewhat to Very Important."
Differences were stark by subgroup: 73% of anti-abortion respondents called it important, yet among self-described pro abortion-rights respondents the figure fell to 29%, among the religiously unaffiliated to 25%, and among the undecided to just 22%.
Those numbers are sobering.
Yet the same survey delivered a second, more encouraging finding.
After reviewing 29 concrete, compassionate initiatives, 40% of all respondents became "More or Much More Inclined" to believe the rate of abortions could actually be reduced — including 25% of those who identify as pro abortion-rights and 35% of undecideds.
That is common ground worth building on.
What would it take to dramatically reduce the number of abortions in America without relying solely on the courts?
The clearest winner across all groups?
Personal storytelling.
Respondents across the ideological spectrum – anti-abortion, pro-abortion rights, and undecided – rated storytelling as one of the most powerful tools available to change hearts and minds.
These are not sermons; they are inspiring testimonies from women who chose life under pressure, from the now-grown children who were almost aborted, and from physicians who learned to counsel instead of referring patients to abortion providers.
Eleven targeted storytelling branches emerged from the data:
—Scientific connection (ultrasounds/fetal-pain education)
—Resource empowerment for underserved communities
—Faith-based and secular support tracks
—Digital outreach to youth
—Language clarity campaigns
—Specialized help for those considering repeat abortions
—Programs that engage men as fathers and partners
—And, most importantly, a diverse library of conversion stories from patients, saved children, and medical professionals themselves (American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists provides counseling guidelines).
Key Recommendations:
—Launch a centralized, national storytelling program: "Stories of Reflection and Support"with tailored branches to specific audiences.
—Integrate it with a "See, Learn, and Reflect" fetal-development education campaign built around expanded mobile ultrasound units and fetal-pain education.
According to the 2024 Heartbeat International Life Trends Report, the percent of women receiving an ultrasound prior to abortion declined significantly from 2017 to 2023, largely due to the rise in chemical abortions.
Ultrasounds give women vital information (gestational age, complications) and dramatically increase the likelihood they will choose life.
—Expand resources to pregnancy resource centers to provide free ultrasounds, pregnancy testing, counseling, material aid, and ongoing support to help women choose and sustain life, and embed storytelling in this ecosystem that is overwhelmingly rooted in non-judgmental, faith-based communities.
—Broaden youth social-media strategies that feature short, authentic pro-life narratives on Instagram, TikTok, and X, anchored by a new "Blessed Carlo Acutis Initiative" to help teens use the internet for good rather than conform to cultural despair.
—Establish a formal "Catholic Pregnancy Care Pathway" — to expand partnerships between Catholic hospitals and pregnancy resource centers, rooted in shared pro-life values and guided by the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services — to bridge medical and non-medical resources and foster trust.
—A #ChooseLifeJourney campaign modeled on the successful #WalkAway testimonial model, complete with a "Men for Life" track.
—Integrate "Stories of Reflection and Support" into Community Health Center programs to empower underserved populations with compassionate support.
—Integrate the concept of "Stories of Reflection and Support” into the White House's proposed "Baby Bonus" initiative to create a comprehensive approach to increasing births in the United States of America.
One proposal arose after the survey closed: the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025. Kirk, taken at 31, and Blessed Carlo Acutis, canonized this year at age 15, together total 46 years.
A "Forty-Six Alliance" (or "Carlo and Charlie Alliance") could unite Christian youth movements in a digital campaign of hope — tying the 46 chromosomes that make every human life and the number of parables that some scholars attribute to Jesus that taught about mercy and truth.
Laws that protect unborn children remain indispensable, but they cannot end abortion alone. The most durable way to empty abortion facilities is to fill the emotional, spiritual, and practical vacuum that leads women there in the first place.
"Perspectives on Possibility" is not a slogan; it is an invitation.
It is a nation that decides every child is worth fighting for — it is a mother choosing life because someone showed her, she is not alone.
It is a teenager scrolling past despair and landing on hope.
It is a nation realizing that life affirmation would ultimately be better for all us.
Forty-one percent is where we start.
Forty percent became more hopeful once they saw the options.
That is enough to begin — and more than enough to keep going and make abortion unthinkable.
Bill Kolek is President of Pain Insights, Inc., a marketing research firm with 25 years of experience studying the pain management market. That same commitment to understanding hidden suffering led Pain Insights to conduct Perspectives on Possibility, a national survey on compassionate initiatives to reduce abortions in America.
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