Context: Senators Young, Cruz Introduce “Life Month” Resolution during Pride Month; Indy Pride Next Weekend

Staff report

WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 4, 2025

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a resolution Wednesday to designate June as “Life Month,” commemorating the June 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. The resolution is backed by more than two dozen Senate Republicans and a coalition of anti-abortion advocacy groups — and comes at a time when June is also nationally recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

None of the politicians backing the resolution are Democrats, which brings attention to the sharp divide in the United States.

“Hoosiers have always been leaders in the pro-life movement, giving a voice to the voiceless,” said Young, who co-authored the resolution. “I’m proud to lead this resolution that affirms the sanctity of human life and recognizes the efforts by champions of life to provide care and resources to pregnant mothers and families in need.”
The resolution commends organizations and individuals who “promote life” and encourages continued legislative and community support to “empower women and families to choose life.”

The annual Indy Pride Parade is next week, and Pride celebrations are currently planned in cities across Indiana during the month of June.

Meanwhile, the push for a “Life Month” highlights Indiana’s prominence in the post-Roe legal landscape.
On Monday, Indiana Governor Mike Braun appointed attorney James Bopp Jr. to the Indiana University Board of Trustees. Bopp, a longtime conservative legal strategist based in Terre Haute, is widely credited as one of the architects behind the legal dismantling of Roe v. Wade. As general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee and a leading figure in right-wing legal circles, Bopp helped shape the Dobbs v. Jackson strategy that ultimately succeeded at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bopp

Bopp has also been instrumental in other landmark conservative legal campaigns, including the Citizens United ruling, which opened the door to unlimited campaign spending by corporations and wealthy donors. His appointment to the IU board — in Bloomington, a progressive stronghold.

The “Life Month” resolution is endorsed by a constellation of conservative organizations including Focus on the Family, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Liberty Counsel Action, and the Family Research Council — many of which have also opposed LGBTQ+ rights and gender-affirming care.

Though symbolic and nonbinding, the resolution signals renewed momentum among anti-abortion lawmakers heading into the 2026 midterms. With many red states already enacting sweeping abortion bans — Indiana among them — federal Republicans are laying the rhetorical groundwork for national restrictions should they regain control of Congress and the White House.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ advocates, reproductive rights supporters, and university leaders are watching closely as Indiana’s conservative shift continues to ripple from the Statehouse to Indiana University.

Additional Context:

• Pride Month was first recognized by the federal government in 1999 and has since been widely embraced by both public and private institutions as a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
• Indiana remains the only state with a county (Monroe) previously listed as a “sanctuary jurisdiction” by the Trump administration, drawing national attention for its progressive values — which now stand in stark contrast with decisions being made at the state level.
  The full text of the “Life Month” resolution is available at young.senate.gov.

Indy Pride is next weekend.

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