Overturning Roe v. Wade some thoughts and reactions

What incredible news today as the US Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. I have some thoughts and reactions to what I have read, heard, and believe. My reaction and thoughts do not reflect everything I think and believe, but do include some highlights.

 

Overturned – Understanding What This Means 

Overturning Roe does not end abortion. Instead, the abortion issue gets pushed back to each individual state. The citizens as represented in their state legislatures and state constitutions get to decide the abortion issue locally. No doubt some states will severely limit abortions, even making them illegal. In other states, abortion will be sanctioned up through birth.

 

Agency

Over the years, those who support ending the life of a baby at any time before full birth claim that the baby is part of a woman’s body, her reproductive rights, and choice. In fact, Jen Hatmaker wrote, “Women deserve agency over their own bodies and their own futures.” She also stated, “This is intensely personal and private, and women deserve agency and choice not only with their bodies but over the decision to parent for the rest of their lives. Anti-abortion advocates have every right to their convictions, but those convictions should only apply to their bodies, their families, and their futures.”

But what about the baby’s agency? All of this could be equally asked about the life that depends upon a mom to love and protect. A baby’s life depends upon a mom’s choice. Either a mom chooses life or death. The baby does not have a voice.

If you read the rest of her post, she makes the argument that the desire to overturn Roe is purely political, no one really cares about the baby, is a power move, and is illegitimate. I disagree with her. Thousands of people (not all followers of Jesus) have desired and now rejoice that Roe is overturned out of respect for the baby’s agency, life, and the image of God. Hatmaker looks at some who politically may have the wrong motive, but that does not mean a majority or even close to all people share a political agenda. In fact, I would argue just the opposite. The vast majority of those who care about overturning Roe could care less about political power; instead, respect the baby’s agency and life.

 

Healthcare, Family Benefits, and Long-term Care

Hatmaker continues:

Worth noting is that the legislative opponents to Roe are largely participating in the political theater because if this rabid energy was genuine if it had any integrity, it would come baked in with the fiercest and staunchest advocacy for free birth control, comprehensive sex education, maternal health care, paid maternity leave, subsidized child care, affordable housing, marriage counseling and family support systems, guaranteed food security, victims’ rights for all the rape and incest survivors forced to carry their abuser’s baby, subsidized medical care for all the women forced to carry a baby to the detriment of their own health or that of their baby, life insurance for the families whose mothers died in forced childbirth, and every conceivable support for a mother, baby, and family from birth until forever.

Adoption agencies would be overflowing with advocates prepared to raise these children. This would make sense alongside the fanatical crusade against reproductive rights because everyone is… so concerned about the babies.

To which I reply, yes. We must put our money where our mouth is. As we can legislatively, we should encourage careful help for moms and babies. As we can personally, we should participate in pregnancy care centers and other creative means to help those who carry a baby.

She does not even list all the things that the father should be required to provide legally for the baby/child. He already has a moral obligation to the mother and baby.

We can all disagree as to her long list of government options; there’s much to fuss about on that list. However, may it be said over and over, if we are going to insist on life (which we absolutely should), we must be ready to provide a helping hand. Absolutely.

 

The Decision to Parent

Women should indeed have the right to both be a parent and parent. In a very small minority of cases, a woman is raped or molested. Someone takes away her right to determine if she should be a parent – the rapist. He should be held criminally responsible for that decision, not the baby. We should be willing to do everything possible to provide mercy for the mother and baby.

However, in most cases, the mother chose to have sex with the father. As a result, she became pregnant. This is not the time to decide reproduction options. With full agency, the woman chose to have sex.

But what if the pregnancy was a mistake? What if contraception didn’t work?

Then the mother and father of this new living baby in the image of God must take responsibility. Where we can help, we must. In fact, we must do better. However, a failure to do good by these moms does not justify killing a baby.

Adoption – yes. We must make the means and methods of adoption as easy and inexpensive as possible. Free would be nice. Much work should be done here by pro-life legislatures.

 

Justification to Kill Babies Because of ??

Hatmaker states:

It will simply mean more women are permanently injured, dead, or imprisoned to the destruction of their families and lives. That’s all.

It will mean girls and women will have only unsafe, illegal, and dangerous options they will choose. And as a reminder, those “girls and women” are our daughters, our sisters, our best friends, our colleagues, our neighbors, our church friends, and ourselves.

We would hope and pray that help would be available for every girl and woman who gets pregnant. These girls and women are in fact our daughters, sisters, best friends, colleagues, neighbors, and church friends. So, help them!

However, we cannot justify killing innocent, helpless, and voiceless babies because some people may get hurt. We know the babies will be hurt. This means that indeed we must do better.

 

Final Words

Roe is overturned, praise God!

Our efforts though must continue. To say we are pro-life must be more than a simple moniker. We must put our actions with our words. To say we are for babies does not mean that we are against women. As pro-life, we are both. Have we failed to do the best we can do? Yes. Both Christians and government can do better. However, all over the world, Christians are trying. Yet, we can and should do more.

For those of us who are biblical counselors, we have a responsibility to provide care for those on every side of this issue. Pregnant moms. Children. Families. Fathers. Not just biblical counselors, but everyone in the church.

To limit abortion means that we must increase other options to provide mercy and care for both women and babies.

However, as imperfect as that is, we cannot justify abortion.

As abortions are limited as a result of this, we must in a full-throated way support life and those that choose it.