Recently a pioneer in the pro-life movement died: Jack Wilke, M.D. He and his wife Barbara, who passed on a little over a year before him, were pioneers in the pro-life movement.

Years before the Roe vs. Wade decision brought us legal abortion nationwide, Jack and Barbara Wilke began talking about it in packed halls at universities and other venues around the nation and overseas. They taught audiences what abortion really is, who was performing and getting abortions, how professionals in the legal and medical communities were justifying it and what it was doing to women and to unborn babies. The sexual revolution was in full flower and widespread abortion was one of its awful consequences. We were too civilized to talk about it in polite company. But this gracious couple, a doctor and a nurse, parents of six, did.

The tireless Jack Wilke served as President of the National Right to Life Committee from 1980 to 1991, and founded the International Right to Life Federation in 1984, and Life Issues Institute in 1991.

It’s important that the current generation of pro-lifers know about this battle for life. Chuck Donovan, President of the Charlotte Lozier Institute knew the Wilkes and worked closely with them in those early days. He writes, “Jack and Barbara lived long enough that millions of young pro-life Americans who benefitted from, may even be the result of, their lifelong leadership would not recognize their names.”

But this story is preserved in the Wilke’s detailed history, published last fall entitled Abortion and the Pro-life Movement. A movement that has grown and gained strength for 40-plus years has a lot to learn from the victories and defeats, the mistakes and the disagreements within the movement.

Pro-life scholar Michael New says that in writing this book, Dr. and Mrs. Wilke have done a great service for “scholars, activists, and anyone who cares about the abortion issue.”

The Wilkes do a great job describing a certain point in the late 80’s when it became obvious to supporters of legal abortion that, despite the rise of the feminist and population control movements, the public was not accepting abortion the way they had expected. Abortion was never seen as a routine medical procedure as they had hoped.

Their market research led them to de-emphasize talk about abortion and instead highlight the concepts of privacy and choice. Lots of money was spent on this strategy and it worked for years. Being pro-choice was cool and politically helpful — until it wasn’t. Now the word choice is tired and the movement is looking for a replacement and younger troops to fight their battles to keep abortion legal and available. Technology, demographics — pro-lifers have more kids — and better messaging have helped us. There’s a youthful energy in today’s pro-life movement.

The contribution of the Wilkes is a part of God’s restorative work, shining a light, millions of lights, into abortion’s culture of death.