Highlighting the Nation’s Leading Pro-Life States
Americans United for Life is pleased to announce its Life List 2025 State Rankings. Each year, AUL releases its Life List, which ranks states from most to least pro-life based on their existing life-affirming policies. AUL looks at each state’s protections for life from conception to natural death. This includes laws on abortion, legal recognition of preborn children, bioethics, assisted suicide and end-of-life patient care, and healthcare rights of conscience. Additionally, states are awarded points for their life-affirming cultural and political landscape and momentum.
Arkansas, the Most Pro-life State in America
This past legislative session, the pro-life movement faced many challenges including pro-abortion ballot initiatives and legislation targeting pregnancy resource centers. However, several states stood firm in their courageous defense and advocacy for life. For the fifth year in a row, Arkansas is at the top of the Life List as the most pro-life state in America. Continuing in its momentum from last year, Louisiana comes in second after enacting numerous life-affirming laws, including a law that protects unsuspecting pregnant women from the fraudulent provision of chemical abortion drugs. Tennessee secured its spot as the biggest mover on the Life List, advancing from 13th to 6th. The state enacted strong protections against abortion trafficking of minors and allocated funds to pregnancy resource centers. Kentucky also jumped five spots to 9th.
Unfortunately, Alabama joined Connecticut with the biggest drop of six spots when it declined to protect life in the assisted reproductive technologies space. Alabama dropped from 10th to 16th.
How Pro-Life is Your State?
Many states waned in their momentum from last year as they battled against the newest threat to life, pro-abortion ballot measures seeking to enshrine abortion-on-demand in state constitutions across the nation. Residents in seven states enshrined constitutional protections for unfettered elective abortion, including Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York. Yet, for the first time, three states—Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota—successfully defended against these measures.
41 Pro-Life Bills and Resolutions Passed in 2025
Unfortunately, there was a significant dip in the number of life-affirming protections passed this year. Last year, the pro-life movement was successful in enacting at least 59 life-affirming laws. This year, only 41 pro-life bills and resolutions have been passed. Despite these challenges, the pro-life movement has worked tirelessly to stand for life across the nation. Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia passed bills that allocated funding to pregnancy resource centers. Similarly, the Kansas legislature successfully overrode the Governor’s veto of a bill that creates a tax credit for donations to pregnancy resource centers. Furthermore, West Virginia stands out among the rest as it became the first state in the nation to amend its state constitution to affirmatively protect against physician-assisted suicide.
On the other hand, a number of states at the bottom of the Life List have furthered anti-life policies. This year, at least 31 anti-life bills were passed. For example, several states enacted laws that attempt to “shield” abortion providers from criminal and civil liability. Twenty states introduced bills to legalize physician-assisted suicide, with states like Delaware and New Hampshire coming dangerously close to legalizing death-on-demand. Yet, every state stood firm in stopping the expansion of death through assisted suicide.
Overall, despite the challenging legislative session, the pro-life movement achieved monumental victories at the ballot box and in the legislatures. For further information on state actions this year, please see AUL’s 2024 Annual State Policy Report.
