Catherine Davis: A Father’s Day Call to Restore the Family: End Abortion on Demand

16 Jun 2025Catherine Davis: A Father's Day Call to Restore the Family: End Abortion on Demand

In a commentary published at The Washington Stand, Project 21 Ambassador Catherine Davis links the issues of abortion and fatherlessness:

Since Planned Parenthood opened its first abortion center in New York in 1970, a cultural shift has sidelined fathers, eroding the family unit. The mantra "my body, my choice" promised women autonomy but often left men stripped of responsibility or voice in the life-or-death decisions for their unborn children. This narrative, championed by groups like the National Organization for Women, has framed men as irrelevant, accelerating a societal drift toward fatherlessness….

By… ending abortion on demand, we can restore fathers to their rightful roles and ensure a future where every child is valued.

Read Catherine's commentary in full below.

Since Planned Parenthood opened its first abortion center in New York in 1970, a cultural shift has sidelined fathers, eroding the family unit. The mantra "my body, my choice" promised women autonomy but often left men stripped of responsibility or voice in the life-or-death decisions for their unborn children. This narrative, championed by groups like the National Organization for Women, has framed men as irrelevant, accelerating a societal drift toward fatherlessness.

In 1970, 75% of black children grew up in two-parent households. By 2011, that figure plummeted to 28%, according to U.S. Census data. The consequences are stark: crime rates among youth have surged, with the Bureau of Justice Statistics reporting that children from single-parent homes are twice as likely to engage in delinquent behavior. Illiteracy, drug use, and child abuse have also risen, while cultural shifts have undermined traditional male roles as protectors and providers, particularly in black communities.

The family's collapse threatens America's survival. The CDC's 2024 data reveals a national fertility rate of 1.63 children per woman, below the 2.1 needed to sustain a population. For black Americans, the rate is a dire 1.4, signaling a crisis of cultural and demographic decline.

A 1986 National Institutes of Health study noted that widespread abortion is a hallmark of nations intentionally reducing their populations. Abortion on demand, as facilitated by Planned Parenthood, has contributed to this trend, with over 63 million (25,000,000 on black women) abortions carried out in the U.S. since 1970, disproportionately affecting black communities.

To reverse this trajectory, we must end abortion on demand. President Trump's proposal to pay families $5,000 per child is a step, but it cannot succeed without addressing abortion's role in population decline. The Declaration of Independence affirms an inalienable right to life, reinforced by the 14th Amendment's guarantees of equal protection and due process. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, yet abortion businesses have historically targeted the black community, as documented by studies like the Guttmacher Institute's 2019 report showing black women account for 38% of abortions while comprising only 14% of the female population. Enforcing these laws is overdue.

Hope exists in efforts like Proverbs226, a ministry reconnecting incarcerated fathers with their children. Their videos of dads washing their children's feet in acts of repentance are heart-wrenching, breaking the cycle where 82% of children of incarcerated parents risk imprisonment themselves, per a 2020 Bureau of Justice Statistics report. Expanding such initiatives nationwide could reinforce efforts to rebuild families and communities.

As we celebrate Father's Day, let us mourn the 25 million lives lost to abortion and commit to action. By replicating Proverbs226's model and ending abortion on demand, we can restore fathers to their rightful roles and ensure a future where every child is valued. America's survival depends on it.

Project 21 Ambassador Catherine Davis, a public speaker and civil rights champion, is founder of the Restoration Project, a national pro-life organization based in Georgia. She is a graduate of Tufts University who attended the University of Bridgeport School of Law. This was first published at The Washington Stand.