The recent cover of Time magazine carried a provocative headline: “40 years ago, abortion rights activists won an epic victory with Roe v. Wade. They’ve been losing ever since.”
GrayJan. 22 was the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in America. Have abortion rights activists been losing since then? Today, four out of 10 unplanned pregnancies end in abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Nearly half of all abortions in this country are repeat abortions. Abortion is still legal, even though 24 states have adopted more than 90 restrictions on abortion since 2010.
The obstacle that remains is the law created from the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. As long as that ruling stands, abortion has not lost – America has.
All Southern Baptists may not know that the SBC passed a resolution two years before Roe v. Wade that basically took a pro-choice position. Under the leadership of Foy Valentine, director of the Christian Life Commission, the convention passed a resolution where Southern Baptists were encouraged to push for legislation that would allow abortion under some broad circumstances like “rape, incest, clear evidence of fetal deformity, and carefully ascertained evidence of the likelihood of damage to the emotional, mental, and physical health of the mother.” In 1980, the first pro-life resolution was passed. It said we are “opposed to abortion except to save the life of the mother.” Since then, several resolutions have been passed stating our opposition to abortion. Why did we change? The conservative resurgence directed us to Scripture, where we saw that human life is sacred and that a fetus in the womb is a human being.
Today, the controversy over abortion continues. Battles have been won that favor the sanctity of life, but the war still rages. Too many pre-born babies are aborted each year in this country. For 40 years, we have legally done what is morally wrong. As a nation, this is a sinful course that still needs to be changed.
It seems that church attendance may have some influence on how people view the infamous Supreme Court decision. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, people who attend church weekly or more support overturning Roe v. Wade (55 percent). People who not attend church as often do not support overturning the ruling (76 percent). The report also found that those who see abortion as morally wrong are overwhelmingly in favor of overturning the law (85 percent).
The key in winning the abortion battle is first winning the hearts of people to God and His truth. Hearts need to change at the highest levels. Could a Supreme Court one day reverse Roe v. Wade? Most pundits are doubtful it will ever be overturned, but the Bible teaches that all things are possible with God. Change can happen. The SBC changed its position on abortion.
In 1857, the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, ruled that people of African descent were not citizens and were not protected by the Constitution. That decision is widely viewed as the worst decision the court has ever made. The court ruled that slaves were personal property and that the Fifth Amendment protected property owners. The decision centered around a slave named Dred Scott, who was born in Virginia! Fortunately, the 14th Amendment essentially, but not technically, overturned that ruling. A serious mistake was corrected.
In 1973, the Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision ruled in favor of abortion. Let us pray that, by an amendment to the Constitution or by a decision of the court, this decision will also be overturned.
Abortion is still legal – and as long as it is, we have not won.