Tensions are rising in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s decision on the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health case scheduled to be released in June or July. This case inadvertently served to reopen the “Roe vs. Wade” can of worms from nearly 50 years ago. If the documents illegally leaked by a clerk at the Supreme Court back in May are accurate, SCOTUS is planning to overturn the Roe decision.
As we discussed several weeks ago, overturning Roe would not automatically ban abortion across the United States. A decision to reverse the 1973 case would return authority to the states to make their own rulings—which is their constitutional right.
Nonetheless, violence and threats of violence continue to escalate:
A pro-abortion group called Jane’s Revenge issued a ‘Night of Rage’ threat if Roe would be overturned.
Another group, ShutDownDC, planned to blockade streets around the Supreme Court on June 13, the date the ruling was rumored to be issued.
Ruth Sent Us activists threatened to target Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barret’s children, and Nicholas Roske was arrested for attacking SCOTUS justice, Brett Kavanaugh.
Pregnancy cares centers around the country have been vandalized, including the Capital Hill Crisis Pregnancy Center in D.C. and one locally in the East Liberty region of Pittsburgh, PA.
Our Constitution is an amazing thing. It offers more protections than any other government in the world, including the right to [peacefully] protest unpopular decisions. But, as the champion for human rights around the world, America also has an obligation to protect the most vulnerable populations—and this includes pre-born children.
Last time, we discussed four of the top five reasons why it’s time for a post-Roe America. Before we reveal the number one reason Roe should be overturned, let’s recap from the previous post. These reasons include:
5. Legally speaking, Roe is Bad Law
4. The abortion laws in the United States are extreme
3. The debate is no longer about whether a fetus is a baby
2. Abortion is not—and was never intended to be—healthcare
The number 1 reason why it’s time to reverse Roe: Abortion hurts women and kills children.
No one understood this better than Norma McCorvey, the face of ‘Roe.’ Although McCorvey was a willing participant in the initial lawsuit, she soon recognized how she had been exploited by her attorneys and the justice system. Even other pro-choice activists acknowledged that Norma was a sacrificial lamb for their cause.
McCorvey never had an abortion herself but took several jobs at abortion clinics. She was—by her own admission—unskilled, uneducated, with alcohol and drug problems, and had trouble finding and keeping a job. Because of high turnover rates, abortion clinics were always looking for employees.
After several years working in the industry, however, she deeply regretted her involvement and eventually changed course. In 1995 while working at a clinic in Dallas, Norma met a seven-year-old girl by the name of Emily when Operation Rescue moved in next door to the clinic. Although McCorvey and the other abortion workers were very upset to discover a pro-life organization had moved next door, Emily’s innocence and kindness softened her heart.
Eventually, McCorvey accepted Emily’s mother's invitation to church and was introduced to Pastor Philip Benham. The two quickly became friends. McCorvey experienced a radical conversion to Christianity and was baptized by Benham. Soon after, McCorvey denounced the abortion industry and began advocating for the pro-life movement. She tells the story in her 1997 book Won by Love (Thomas Nelson, 1997, p. 155-156).
Because of her newly found convictions, McCorvey implored a court in New Jersey in 2000 to revisit the Roe v. Wade decision because the basis was built upon false assumptions. During an official deposition given by Norma McCorvey to a New Jersey court in March 2000, she said:
After I saw all the deception going on in the abortion facilities, and after all the things that my supervisors told me to tell the women, I became very angry. I saw women being lied to, openly, and I was part of it. There’s no telling how many children I helped kill while their mothers dug their nails into me and listened to my warning, “Whatever you do, don’t move!” I can assure the court that the interest of these mothers is not a concern of abortion providers. (McCorvey, 2000, p. 4)
In essence, McCorvey testified that abortionists lie, women suffer, and babies die.
Also, during her deposition, McCorvey painted a graphic picture of the conditions of these abortion clinics and the unprofessional manner of the abortionists she worked with. Read her full statement here. McCorvey continued to speak out against abortion and the damage caused by Roe vs. Wade until her death in 2017.
For the past few decades, many organizations across the country have continued the push to defund and criminalize abortion providers for this very reason. Intrinsically, many individuals from different faiths and political affiliations understand that abortion hurts women and kills children.
Attorneys for Dr. Dobbs during the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health case referenced another case, Gonzales vs. Carhart from 2007. During this trial, the court upheld that Congress can Constitutionally ban gruesome and inhumane types of abortion. The legal team also submitted testimonies of 375 women hurt by late-term abortion—both physically and psychologically.
Late-term abortion, according to the women’s testimonies, causes “devastating psychology consequences.” Read the full amicus brief here.
In contrast, life-affirming pregnancy centers care for both the mother and child from “womb to tomb.” According to Carole Novielli in a May 6, 2022 article, pregnancy resource centers help approximately 2 million people each year by providing free services including but not limited to ultrasounds, STD testing, pregnancy tests, parenting education, and trauma counseling.
Pregnancy centers are growing in popularity and outnumber abortion facilities by 3 to 1. In addition, 400 maternity homes in the U.S. offer help, hope, and housing for moms in need.
If you live in the Pittsburgh area and are in need of pregnancy care and/or post-abortion support, please contact our friends at East Liberty Women’s Care Center. Visit www.elwcc.org or call 412-956-5433.
As we close, I encourage you to not lose sight of the importance of this moment. Even though abortion will not end in our country, we may be closing the book on the historic Roe vs. Wade decision. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I find the timing of this event fascinating. In 2022—exactly 49 years after the decision to legalize abortion in all 50 states took effect in 1973—we may be experiencing our own Year of Jubilee, as detailed in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 61:1-2, speaks of Jesus who, as the author of liberty, sets the captives free:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,…
As we approach the 50th anniversary of this monumental turning point in our country, could the Lord be setting future generations free from the devastating consequences of abortion on both women and children? Time will only tell.
Thank you for reading the conclusion to our three-part series detailing the background and implications of the Dobbs decision currently before the Supreme Court. I hope you will join me in praying for a peaceful and just outcome. May God bless you, and may He continue to bless America.
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