Posted on 01/24/2020 6:28:55 AM PST by Kaslin
Since 1973, Americans have lived under deep angst, confusion, and disagreement regarding the conflict between rights of personal freedom and the value of human life. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) chose to value personal autonomy over unborn human life, thereby allowing abortions for any reason throughout all months of a mother’s pregnancy. There has been a cultural war over this issue for the hearts and souls of Americans ever since.
Under the reign of Roe nearly 64 million unborn infants have been killed and the issue continues to divide an already divided nation in intense emotional ways. The issue is far from settled and refuses to go away. In the last few years states have passed laws to either severely restrict abortion or, as in the case of Alabama, completely ban it.
Because of two Trump appointments to SCOTUS there is increased speculation that the high Court may be ready to end Roe and its dictates. The reelection of Donald Trump and the likelihood that he will appoint further justices to SCOTUS in a second term frightens proponents of abortion and encourages those who hold pro-life views.
Millions of Americans have labored for years to see the end to abortion. They have founded thousands of agencies – pregnancy centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, counseling agencies, and more – to provide mothers considering abortion life-affirming options to empower them to choose life. Such labors have made a huge difference in reducing abortion, from an annual high of 1.6 million in 1991 to currently under 900,000. Yet, abortion continues to exist because Roe continues to exist.
It goes without saying that abortion will not be ended as long as Roe is on the books. However, the demise of Roe will not end abortion, at least in its immediate aftermath. Rather, the end of Roe would allow each state to determine the legality of abortion and any restrictions required. In fact, in some states the end of Roe may increase abortion activity. For certain, an already intensive cultural division will be furthered widened as pro-life and pro-choice sides battle for influence and control of state legislatures.
States like California and New York will undoubtedly increase their already intensive efforts to expand abortion rights. Both states have in recent years attempted to restrict the speech of those who oppose such efforts. California failed in its efforts to compel pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion on the walls of their offices and in their advertising as SCOTUS, in its landmark 2018 decision – NIFLA v. Becerra – found the law to be unconstitutional.
New York, however, has ignored this decision and passed a law this year essentially prohibiting pro-life agencies, and other religious entities, from hiring only those who agree with their respective beliefs and missions. This law is now being challenged and will hopefully suffer the same fate as the now defunct California law, but the passage of this bill in itself shows the extreme commitment that leaders in pro-abortion states like New York and California have to the expansion of abortion. Such efforts will only intensify in these states when Roe is buried.
In the midst of this coming cultural war one must understand that while abortion is a political issue fought in the political arena it is far deeper than that. It is an issue that reflects the value of every human life in American society. Are all human lives equally valued in America and thus, must be protected under the law? Or, as asserted by abortion proponents, are some human lives less valuable and thus, can be disposed of if deemed inconvenient? The ultimate answer to this question will determine the future of America.
In the meantime, where are the spiritual leaders of our nation? William Wilberforce is one whom history correctly credits with the end of slavery in the British Empire. Yet, Wilberforce did not labor alone. As he fought for the abolition of slavery in the political realm a massive spiritual renewal was taking place in the English countryside as the fires of spiritual revival preached by John Wesley spread. The same must occur in America if the value of all human life is to become once again a foundational tenet.
Roe will one day be gone. It certainly must go. But its demise will not end the practice of abortion and the killing of innocent human life. That will happen only when the nation sees and accepts every human being – born, unborn, handicapped, the dying and the infirm – as valuable and endowed by the Creator with the unalienable right to life.
All human life increases in value.
Growing up in NY state, I happened to learn that Down’s Syndrome affects 1 in 300. I scratched my head, that statistic seeming way too common compared to what I saw in reality.
Then I moved to GA. Down’s kids...everywhere. Like one in every three hundred.
Then the horror hit me.
If someone is willing to murder an infant, just what do you think they wouldn’t do to you?
Will women become less promiscuous, rely on RU-487, or develop a sudden passion for Lewinskys?
Time will tell.
64 million unborn infants have been killed
—
There is a connection between open borders, change the culture of the US and Social Security.
By aborting American citizens and allowing illegals from third world nations our culture can not help but change and this has the side benefit of replacing the Social Security Ponzi scheme. Without illegals, unlimited abortion would have resulted in Social Security going broke years before the politicians could grab their graft and flee into a soft retirement.
It will only matter if it signals a return to God and away from godless materialism.
A better question is, “What will a ‘post Trump’ America look like?”
Post-Roe would mean the legality of abortion would fall back to each individual state (which is what it was pre-Roe), and there’s already been a study published about this years ago. Basically, the number of abortions occurring today would not go down due to the overturning of Roe, because the vast number of abortions that occur in the US occur in states where abortion was legal before Roe, and would be legal post-Roe. States like CA and NY, where abortion rates are currently 24% and 33% of all pregnancies, respectively, will have abortion on demand in a post-Roe USA. Whereas states like South Dakota and Mississippi, where abortion rates are currently 4% and 6% of all pregnancies, would likely ban abortion or heavily restrict it.
Thus, the total numbers would not change. And this is what the typical person doesn’t really think about: the issue is not Roe v. Wade and the SCOTUS; the issue is the hearts and minds of American women who don’t have a problem with using abortion as birth control. People want to bring up the “life of the mother” and “rape and incest” exceptions; that’s the thing - they are exceptions and represent a VERY small amount of the 1 in 3 pregnancies that get aborted in California. Think about that...1 in 3! Granting all exceptions that are genuine, that still leaves a vast majority of elective abortions, and these occur because the women simply don’t see the in-utero fetus as a human child, or worse, they might agree that it’s a child, but believe that it’s their prerogative to end the life. Until this kind of thinking changes, the laws DO NOT MATTER.
That’s when it’s time to buy more ammo.
I’m not joking.
A: California would require abortion for all pregnancies, and North Dakota would ban it.
Realistically, if Roe were overturned, the issue would go back to the states.
Liberal states such as New York and California will enact their liberalized abortion laws to permit abortion on demand. Other states will enact various restrictions.
Even if Roe were overturned, there will still be abortions happening in America every day.
It will be easier to change laws or Supreme Court decisions, than it is to change people’s hearts and minds on this issue.
I was just talking to someone about this, I live in WA for over 30 years, I’ve encountered 3 children with Downs. Quite shocking.
If I go to the mall I’ll see 3 kids with Down’s.
Yes. The fools who think they are wise protect the murder of our posterity and import people they think they will be able to control, even going so far as to import Islam (how stuck on stupid can they possibly be?).
They won’t surrender power, but it will be taken away from them just the same. Even before the Lord returns.
There is, as you say, a direct connection between abortion on demand and open borders, with cultural suicide thereafter.
90 percent of Down’s syndrome People are aborted in the USA.
A horrible statistic. But in many countries it’s literally a hundred percent.
Illuminating.
our nation is so pro disability rights. We have to have handicapped access all over, everyone loves the Special Olympics...we are double minded to say the least.
Yes the battle would them move to the states. At least the children would be reasonably safe in some of them. But the fight would continue.
Simply reversing Roe returns it to the states.
Question is once (if) reversed, will the inverse of Roe Halle. Where the Supreme Court will declare abortion to be unconstitutional?
This would require a challenge to a state where it is legal going all the way to the Supreme Court and the court striking the law down.
Or it would require a federal law banning the procedure nationally which I doubt sadly our legislature would ever pass.. but if they did, then would have to survive appeals to the Supreme Court and win which it may or may not.
The latter path would be the proper way... the prior path would be just flipping the script on 1973 overreach.
The courts should NOT be a replacement for the legislative process.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.