(RightWing.org) – On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) did something it had never done before. Activist liberal justices struck down a Texas abortion ban as unconstitutional and, with the weight of Supreme Court precedence, made abortions readily and easily available throughout the United States.
The statistics about abortion are changing, as are the women who are predominantly getting them. On Sunday, January 24, thousands of people will gather at the footsteps of the SCOTUS in the yearly March for Life. Longtime leaders of the movement hope it will be their last. The SCOTUS may change abortion law or eliminate Roe later this spring. It’s a potential decision that pro-life activists have hoped would happen for a long time.
Could This Be the Last Year of March for Life?
According to the National Right to Life Committee, over 62.5 million women received an abortion between 1972 and 2019. For Conservatives, it was a loss of a precious human life. For abortion advocates, they say it’s about a women’s right to choose.
For many, it comes down to a single argument: the law protects wanted babies, and the law does not protect unwanted babies as a condition of choice. Some argue this is not the kind of equality America should be striving for in this day and age. Pro-life activists say every human being should be treated equally under the law, regardless of their traits, condition, born, or unborn.
Since the Republic’s early days, abortion has been a questionable practice. Up until Roe, the legal question was, when does life begin? From 1787 until Roe, it was between the 16th and 18th week of pregnancy — because that’s when a mother could begin to feel her baby move in the womb. After that point, abortion was illegal.
Mississippi and Texas laws are attempting to push America back in that direction after Roe. In December, the high court heard a Mississippi case that, under state law, abortion is now illegal after six weeks. They say advanced medical practices and technology pinpoint that an embryo becomes a person at that point. Regardless, that wasn’t the legal argument.
The debate is about who has the right to decide abortion law under the Constitution, and wheter or not the 1973 Warren Court overextend its authority under the 10th Amendment. If so, the SCOTUS won’t rule to eradicate abortion. Instead, it could rule that the Warren Court made the Roe decision in error, and that it’s a state issue to decide the matter under the 10th Amendment.
Abortion Is Changing Regardless of Supreme Court Decision
It’s been 49 years since the Supreme Court codified Roe into law. This year, pro-life advocates say they hope their long journey and hard work pay off. Still, statistics show that abortion in America is changing.
There are fewer of them for one, which is the good news. Yet, statistically, low-income women have been largely the ones receiving an abortion in recent years. That suggests if someone were financially in a better place, perhaps they would make a different decision?
While some want to return to the discussion of equity, more government dependency doesn’t solve the problem. Hopelessness and questions of one being able to take care of a child may be at the root of the problem for many. The solution may not be simple, but the principles aren’t complicated. When people feel they have hope and opportunity, their worldview is very different.
The liberal worldview that abortion is an easy way out for people does more harm than good. As pro-life Americans March for Life, let’s also take a moment to remember that a human being made a very difficult decision. Empathy, respect, and a listening voice can go a long way towards healing the wounds that divide America over abortion — both for individuals who received abortions and the nation as a whole.
Don Purdum, Independent Political Analyst
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