An anti-slavery activist, a leader of American women’s suffrage, and a staunch opponent of abortion — wherever injustice was manifest, Susan B. Anthony was drawn to fight on the side of those marginalized and disenfranchised.
Born into a Quaker family in 1820, Anthony became an avid abolitionist by the age of 17. In 1863, she and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the abolitionist Women's Loyal National League. Under her guidance, the League conducted the largest petition drive in United States history up to that time, collecting nearly 400,000 signatures in support of ending slavery.
Anthony also led the United States suffrage movement. She knew from an early age the importance of organizing for a cause. She also knew the most precious and powerful tool of any citizen is her vote — which is why she dedicated her life to secure that right for women.
Anthony was actually arrested and convicted in 1872 for attempting to vote in her hometown in upstate New York. It wasn’t until August 2020 that President Trump posthumously pardoned her for this “crime.” Underscoring Anthony’s commitment to human rights for all, including the unborn, President Trump invited pro-life leaders to participate in the historic White House ceremony.
Alongside Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anthony convinced Sen. Aaron A. Sargent, R-Calif., to introduce a constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote. Known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, it was eventually ratified as the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.
The power of just one vote was clear as the amendment neared ratification. Almost all the Southern states were opposed, and Tennessee was poised to join them because of a 48-48 tie in its state legislature.
Harry Burn, the youngest state representative in Tennessee, was prepared to vote against the amendment, guaranteeing the fight for women’s suffrage would continue. However, on the morning of the Tennessee roll call, Mr. Burn received a letter from his mother, Pheobe "Miss Febb" Burn, imploring him to "be a good boy" and support the measure. When Representative Burns’ name was called, he voted aye because “I believe we had a moral and legal right to ratify” the amendment.
Like her feminist contemporaries, Anthony saw abortion as a grave injustice. She and other suffrage pioneers were unanimous in the belief that the rights of women extend to their children, born and unborn. They understood that authentic rights cannot be built on the broken bodies and rights of others.
If Anthony were alive today, she would be proud of the marchers at the March for Life, the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration. The pro-life movement continues the legacy and unfinished work of every great and successful social justice movement in American history.
She would also embrace the mission of her namesake organization, Susan B. Anthony List, which exists to end abortion by electing pro-life lawmakers, in particular women, and advocating for laws that save lives. This mission perfectly embodies the spirit of Susan B. Anthony: “There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers.”
In this pivotal election, voting pro-life has never been more important. The Democratic Party, once heralded as the champion of “the little guy,” has become increasingly radical — vowing, for instance, to end the popular Hyde Amendment, longstanding policy that has saved more than 2.4 million lives since the 1970s by preventing taxpayer funding of abortion on demand.
The party nominee also promises to continue persecuting the Little Sisters of the Poor unless they provide abortion-inducing drugs in their healthcare plans. For Democratic leadership, the “little guy” excludes the smallest, most vulnerable member of our human family — the least among us, the unborn. Even a brief review of the candidates and their positions reveals what’s at stake this November for countless little girls and boys with no voice but ours.
Anyone who fights to restore life in America can draw inspiration from Anthony. And although she never saw the culmination of her work with the passage of the 19th Amendment, we have little doubt she will be smiling one day soon when Roe v. Wade is history, and the beauty and dignity of every human being is valued and every life protected in law.
Jeanne Mancini is president of the March for Life. Marjorie Dannenfelser is president of the national pro-life group the Susan B. Anthony List.