March for Life in Atlanta was just the beginning. Join our growing movement.

I, Hayden Sledge, was born here in Georgia and share this conviction. Those who support women and babies in this state are not a political faction, but good people who believe in the beauty and goodness of every life. Georgians of all stripes have always held these values.

The conversation about abortion has been loud, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Dobbs, now four years ago. But historically, the majority of Georgians have favored common-sense limits on abortion — and the next generation is moving in the same direction.

Pro-life identification among adults ages 18-29 has climbed 11 points since Dobbs, according to Gallup and related surveys. Something is shifting, and Georgia is leading that shift.

Ga.’s heartbeat law has been unnecessarily challenged

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

But there is still a lot of work to do. Our state’s heartbeat law, enacted by the elected representatives of the people of Georgia in 2019, has been subject to unnecessary litigation since it passed, leaving families, physicians and women in limbo.

Meanwhile, chemical abortion pills are being ordered online and self-administered without medical supervision — with devastating consequences.

Two of those consequences have names: Amber Thurman, 28, and Candi Miller, 41.

If you’re a Georgian you already know their stories, as when they were first uncovered it shook our state — and the whole nation.

These Georgia women took chemical abortion pills and both developed complications resulting in their tragic deaths in 2022, not to mention the deaths of their unborn children.

According to the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, chemical abortions by pill have a complication rate nearly four times that of a standard surgical abortion — a fact the big abortion industry has long downplayed

These women may have been told that abortion pills were safe, but instead, they both lost their lives.

We should all be able to agree these women should have been informed about the real dangers of these drugs, and that they and their families were done an unconscionable disservice, regardless of where we stand on abortion.

This is what pregnancy resources centers like the Refuge Center do

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

I, Kelbie, know what it means to need real answers. When I was 30, I walked through the doors of the Refuge Center as a client, seeking pregnancy confirmation and support. The compassion I received left a lasting impression.

I later returned as a volunteer, then as staff, and have served as executive director since last year. What was once the place that supported me is now the place where I have the privilege of supporting others.

Credit: Stephanie Malan

Credit: Stephanie Malan

What I’ve learned through my work is this: Pregnant women need clear information, compassionate care and a community willing to walk alongside them.

In 2025 alone, the Refuge Center served nearly 1,000 clients — all free of charge — through pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, options counseling, parenting classes, material support and programs for new fathers. We are staffed by licensed medical professionals.

We’ve served Georgians for nearly five decades. We are not a “fake clinic.”

We are a lifeline.

We are proud that Georgia is a leader when it comes to serving women and families, no matter their circumstances, but we can always do more.

This means continuing to lead by doing our part on the state level to protect women from the well-documented dangers of unregulated chemical abortion pills, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, which advises and leads the pro-life movement with groundbreaking scientific, statistical and medical research.

This means ensuring that pregnancy resource centers are advertised, funded and accessible to every woman who needs them (a recent update in the state’s budget increase in government funding of these centers by 10% is proof that Georgia is leading the way).

This means continuing to support our pro-life lawmakers who have the courage to act in a way that reflects what their constituents truly believe when it comes to supporting families.

This year’s Georgia March for Life was a moment of action, energy and joy. But the march alone is not the movement — it’s a snapshot of our movement, which is alive, growing and rooted right here.

Marching at the State Capitol was just the first step. You can also join us in this consequential moment by calling your state legislator, volunteering at a pregnancy center or simply encouraging a friend by telling them that help is available, right here in Atlanta and statewide.

Georgians have never needed to be convinced that life matters. We simply need to keep working each day, doing our part to actualize the Georgia we know is possible — one where no woman is alone and no child begins their life without someone in their corner.

Kelbie Milon is the Executive Director at the Refuge Center in Conyers. Hayden Sledge is the chief of staff at March for Life and a Georgia native.