How should a Christian view the Roe v. Wade decision?

Response

On January 22, 1973, in a landmark decision known as Roe v. Wade, the United States Supreme Court declared that a woman possessed a constitutional right to terminate her pregnancy. This ruling effectively permitted abortion across the nation. The Court determined that the right to privacy was extensive enough to include the right to abortion.

The case was named Roe v. Wade after the parties involved. Norma McCorvey had requested an abortion in Dallas County, Texas, but was refused by Henry Wade, the district attorney at that time. In the subsequent legal proceedings, which reached the U.S. Supreme Court, Norma McCorvey was identified anonymously as Jane Roe; hence, the historic legal battle became known as Roe v. Wade.

The Court ruled in favor of McCorvey, thereby paving the way for legalized abortion nationwide. Roe v. Wade categorized pregnancy into trimesters: during the first trimester, states were prohibited from outlawing or regulating abortion in any manner. In the second trimester, states could impose certain regulations, although abortions safeguarding maternal “health” had to be permitted. In the third trimester, a state could potentially prohibit abortion, but laws had to include exceptions to preserve the life and “health” of the woman seeking the abortion. On the same day, another case, Doe v. Bolton, defined health to encompass “all factors” affecting the woman, including “physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age.” This definition essentially allowed for all abortions for any reason.

The Supreme Court’s decision in favor of McCorvey was celebrated by pro-abortion organizations as a triumph for women’s reproductive rights. An estimate suggests that over 63 million legal abortions have taken place since the Roe v. Wade ruling (www.lifen).

(source), accessed 6/27/22). Each of those abortions resulted in the death of an innocent human life.

Roe v. Wade was indeed a significant triumph—for sexual immorality, selfishness, and those aiming to desensitize America to a culture of death. Many Christians viewed the Roe v. Wade ruling with sorrow and indignation. Christian and Catholic pro-life organizations labored for years to overturn Roe v. Wade and reduce the number of abortions—assisting women in crisis pregnancies, participating in public discussions, and advocating for pro-life laws.

The encouraging news is that, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, Roe v. Wade has been overturned. To clarify, the Dobbs verdict does not outlaw abortion but delegates the issue to individual states. In its ruling on June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially did two things: it rejected the existence of a constitutional right to abortion (i.e., the Constitution does not address abortion as a right) and transferred the matter to the states for regulation. In doing so, the Court explicitly overturned Roe v. Wade and another case, Casey v. Planned Parenthood (1992).

The Bible offers a moral framework for establishing laws, legal principles, and governmental actions. This moral framework is primarily outlined in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). The sixth commandment, “You shall not murder,” directly relates to the abortion issue. Laws that prohibit abortion align with the Bible’s moral standards by prohibiting the killing of innocent human life. Roe v. Wade, which sanctioned the killing of innocent life, contradicted the moral code of the Bible.

It is beneficial for a nation’s laws to mirror biblical morality: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” «Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord» (Psalm 33:12).

On whose God is the LORD; And the individuals whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. », (Psalm 33:12). Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, it’s up to the states to enact laws safeguarding the pre-born and upholding biblical principles.