Pro-Life Work of Late Sen. Lindsey Graham Remembered
His passion was rooted in personal tragedy
While Lindsey Graham was a powerful figure on foreign policy, pro-life and family advocates are remembering the Senator from South Carolina as one of Congress’ most persistent advocates for unborn children.
A preliminary medical report found Graham, who died July 11 at 71, suffered an aortic dissection related to hardening of the arteries. His death ended more than three decades in Congress, including 23 years in the Senate.
Graham’s concern for families was rooted partly in personal tragedy. He grew up in one room behind his parents’ restaurant, bar and pool hall in Central, South Carolina. The first member of his family to attend college, Graham was 22 and beginning law school when his parents died 15 months apart.
His sister, Darline Graham Nordone, was 13. Graham became her legal guardian, helped raise her and later adopted her so she could receive his military benefits. Nordone once described him as a brother, father and mother “rolled into one.”
“The pro-life movement has lost one of its greatest champions,” Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said in a statement.
Graham sponsored the Unborn Victims of Violence Act while serving in the House. Signed into law in 2004, it recognizes an unborn child as a separate victim when injured or killed during certain federal crimes. In the Senate, Graham repeatedly introduced legislation protecting pain-capable unborn children and later proposed a nationwide 15-week abortion limit.
As Metro Voice reported in 2022, Graham argued that the measure would bring the United States closer to restrictions common in Europe.
“If we adopted our bill, we would be in the mainstream of most everybody else in the world,” he said.
Graham also supported efforts to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, strengthen protections for infants born alive after attempted abortions and restrict abortion drugs sent through the mail. Beyond abortion, he backed a constitutional amendment declaring parents’ authority to direct their children’s upbringing and education a fundamental right.
He was a familiar presence at pro-life gatherings. Graham keynoted SBA Pro-Life America’s Campaign for Life Gala in 2015, attended its 2022 gathering and joined the event’s speaker lineup again in 2026.
His record brought formal recognition. South Carolina Citizens for Life named him its 2006 Legislator of the Year. He also received the Family Research Council’s True Blue Award and the Alliance for Marriage’s Defender of Marriage award. In January, SBA Pro-Life America gave him an A-plus rating for his work during the current Congress.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, called Graham “an unwavering pro-life champion and a friend” who brought tenacity to difficult legislative fights.
Kelsey Pritchard, the organization’s communications director, offered a similar assessment during an EWTN interview.
“Sen. Graham never retreated from the fight for the unborn,” she said. “He always would run into battle, even when no one else would.”
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said Graham also defended persecuted Christians and supported Israel.
“When others grew quiet, Lindsey stepped forward,” Perkins said, calling him a voice for “the dignity of every human life.”
Graham, a Southern Baptist, belonged to Corinth Baptist Church in Seneca, South Carolina.
–Dwight Widaman
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