EXCLUSIVE: Pro-life leader voices hope after National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, where Mike Johnson warns of ‘spiritual battle’

Building a “culture of life” is the ultimate aim of the pro-life movement, and Americans seeking to “live their faith vibrantly in the world” are a powerful hope for America as the vision advances, David Bereit told The Lion in an interview Thursday at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB).

Executive director of the Life Leadership Conference and founder of 40 Days for Life, Bereit explained that the pro-life movement is most effective when it shares strategic priorities.

Launched last year, the Life Leadership Conference gathers multiple pro-life organizations, leaders and benefactors to address the rise of the abortion pill, advance efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, strengthen pregnancy resource centers, and address state-level ballot issues.

“Our hypothesis was proven to be true: we can achieve more wins when we work together,” Bereit told The Lion. He noted that of the 17 times abortion has been on state ballots, the pro-life movement has lost 14 times, though he believes public perception is shifting.

A growing number of Americans view the abortion pill as unsafe, he said, “a step in the right direction,” though short of removing the “dangerous drug” from the market.

When asked about Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s legislation that would ban mifepristone for abortions, Bereit said he applauds the effort, yet “the fact that he needed to take that action speaks poorly of what the FDA [the Food and Drug Administration], HHS [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services], and the administration are currently doing.”

“They have the responsibility of protecting the health of Americans, and right now, they don’t seem to be doing that job,” Bereit said. “It’s tragic that Senator Hawley’s legislation was needed, because women’s health should never be a political football. It should never be [a case of] ‘let’s push off till past midterms,’ which is what it appears to be, and if it’s not [then they need to] communicate.”

“If we truly want to build a culture of life that our children and our grandchildren will have, we’ve got to think longer term, and we’ve got to ask different questions,” Bereit told The Lion, explaining the vision behind the upcoming 2026 Life Leadership Conference. He noted that the conference leaders studied examples of major cultural transformations and that the goal of the conference is to “affect long term culture.”

Seeing 1,400 Catholics at the NCPB eager to live out their faith “gives me tremendous hope, especially in a city like Washington, D.C.,” he added.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson spoke Thursday at the breakfast, emphasizing the vital importance of America’s religious and moral foundation.

“We are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the greatest nation in the world,” Johnson said. “For us to keep it, it is a spiritual battle.”

Vince Haley, director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, also delivered a message from President Donald Trump honoring the Feast of Saint Joseph.

“On his feast day, we honor Saint Joseph’s incredible life, we pay tribute to his countless silent sacrifices, and we vow to forge a radiant American future marked by the timeless values of faith in God, love of family, and devotion to human freedom,” Trump’s message said.

The NCPB was established in 2004, following Saint John Paul II’s call for a New Evangelization. Each year, over 1,000 attendees gather annually to pray for the nation.