Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, made some comments about the Evangelical Church and the Pro-Life movement during an interview promoting her documentary on gender roles in the home.
Speaking with Elex Michaelson around the time of the overturning of Roe, Newsom suggested a redefinition of what it means to be Pro-Life.
“I appreciate that so many people, so many progressives, are leaning into redefining what Pro-Life is really about, and that’s what we’re doing in California,” Siebel Newsom said. “You know, Pro-Life is about prenatal care and universal preschool and universal after-school and universal healthcare and taking care of foster kids and feeding, you know, universal meals and childcare. Like, that’s Pro-Life. It’s not conception.”
Her comments reflect a growing trend among abortion advocates to shift the definition of “Pro-Life” away from its core meaning: the protection of human life from the beginning. While care for mothers, children, and families is deeply important, the Pro-Life movement has long maintained that these efforts must include protecting children in the womb as well.
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Jennifer Newsom also criticized what she described as the “far right,” claiming their views are harmful to the country.
“They’re living in this silo, this evangelical, conservative silo that, ultimately, is just pulling us back as a country to a time and a place where we don’t deserve to be, and we’re not going to be,” Siebel Newsom said. “Because honestly, young women and fathers of daughters are awake now, and they’re woke, and they’re not going to let us go back.”
She added that she has “so much hope” in a cultural shift and emphasized California’s role in leading the nation.
Jennifer Newsom also criticized what she described as the “far right,” claiming their views are harmful to the country.
“They’re living in this silo, this evangelical, conservative silo that, ultimately, is just pulling us back as a country to a time and a place where we don’t deserve to be, and we’re not going to be,” Siebel Newsom said. “Because honestly, young women and fathers of daughters are awake now, and they’re woke, and they’re not going to let us go back.”
She added that she has “so much hope” in a cultural shift and emphasized California’s role in leading the nation.
However, she acknowledged the cultural shift in her statement. A country being influenced by Christians to value babies in the womb. And thanks be to God, Texas is leading in these efforts. In 2025, new laws expanded protections for mothers and babies, promoting adoption, and increasing resources for women facing unplanned pregnancies.
At the same time, California continues to be a leading state for abortion. In 2024 alone, an estimated 183,720 preborn children lost their lives to abortion in the state, including more than 1,300 women and girls who traveled from Texas.
Last month, during a bill-signing ceremony for a policy that allocates $90 million in emergency funding to abortion facilities such as Planned Parenthood, Siebel Newsom expressed frustration with reporters for focusing on other state issues.
“We just find it incredulous that we have Planned Parenthood here, and women are 51% of the population,” she said. “And the majority of the questions — all of these questions — have really been about other issues. So, it’s just fascinating.”
Her comments highlight the sharp divide in how leaders and activists define care for women and children. For the Pro-Life movement, being Pro-Life is not a matter of redefining the term according to the culture, but of remaining consistent: defending Life at every stage, beginning at fertilization, while continuing to expand support for women, families, and children in need.
Siebel Newsom’s acknowledgment that cultural attitudes are shifting may point to a broader reality: the conversation around preborn babies is far from settled. For many advocates, it is a sign that hearts and minds are still open, and that the case for protecting both mother and child continues to resonate in communities across the country.
California doesn’t need to set the trend on abortion. Texas already leads the way, and we stand firm that preborn babies should be protected.
LifeNews Note: Ashlynn Lemos is the communications intern for Texas Right to Life.
