Well, something that looked so unlikely even just a year ago has actually happened. If you have avoided the news, Television, social media, and political conversations you may have not heard the news that Roe v Wade has been overturned by the Supreme Court in the USA.
This news came out on June 24th 2022 and evoked different responses from a lot of people. For the pro-life movement this was a victory moment. But for those who call themselves pro-choice, this has been described as an assault on woman’s right to bodily autonomy.
You may have felt the unrest (especially if you live in the US) You may have seen women chanting the popular pro-choice slogan “ My body, my choice” in the streets whilst protesting, or during a performance in front of crowds of people at a concert – you may have even been in that crowd….our point is, you would have felt something in response to this news.
Even before the overturn was decided on, it caused a lot of unrest and upset. The news of the possible overturning was leaked, that was when the riots and protests began. Some protesters got physical, and threats were being made against the Supreme Court Justices, pro-life advocates and pregnancy centres.
What could have caused this uproar? We suspect, fake news could’ve had something to do with all the noise the pro-choice side made.
Before we continue to explore in this blog where the uproar came from and why - let’s go back to how Roe v Wade started…….
How did Roe v Wade start?
It all started with a lady known as Jane Roe, a mother in Texas who sued the state because it denied her the right to terminate a pregnancy.
In 1973, the US Supreme Court issued a 7-2 decision holding that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides a fundamental “right to privacy” which protects a pregnant woman’s right to an abortion.
This decision struck down many federal and state abortion laws and created the ‘trimester’ system allowing an absolute right to abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy, some government regulation in the second trimester, and allowing states to restrict or ban abortions in the final trimester.
Simply put, the Supreme Court agreed that it was a private matter between a woman and her doctor. Consequently, the power to have a child (or abort it) was “in the woman’s hands” moreover, since this ruling Roe v Wade has guaranteed women’s right to an abortion for almost 50 years, resulting in tens of millions being aborted.
Why was it overturned?
In 2020, the state of Mississippi asked the Court to hear a case on their 2018 Gestational Age Act, following a challenge by an abortion provider: This law had banned abortions after 15 weeks, with some exceptions. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold Mississippi’s Act, 5-4 to overrule Roe and Casey (a later ruling upholding Roe). The court said: “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled to the people and their elected representatives”
So, what does this mean?
The overruling that happened on June 24th 2022, means that there is now no recognised constitutional right to abortion, and individual US States can now set their own laws. This does not make abortion illegal; the individual state laws decide that. Some states have banned or severely restricted abortion, but others allow it up to birth.
Although this overturning has had the reverse effect in some states, at least many unborn babies' lives will be protected from abortion, which means they will live, and this is something to celebrate, the tables are turning that's for sure; this is what we having been praying for. But we are aware that there is still a long way to go to make abortion completely illegal.
Now back to the rumours going around - the fake news we are referring to are stories we heard online of people thinking treatment for miscarriage or ectopic pregnancies would be illegal (which is obviously fake). Obstetrician Dr Christina Francis explains that “treating ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages or other life-threatening conditions in pregnancy is not the same thing as an abortion. “Chemical abortions, which are being heavily promoted by the abortion industry and its allies, cannot treat an ectopic pregnancy according to the FDA. The treatments for ectopic pregnancy are not the same procedures used by induced abortions.”
There is no major pro-life organisation that advocates jailing women for abortions. The goal of laws limiting or banning abortion is to protect innocent children from abortion violence....
Misinformation has also been circulating, suggesting that women will be jailed for having abortions, or even be subject to a criminal investigation for natural miscarriages. There is no major pro-life organisation that advocates jailing women for abortions. The goal of laws limiting or banning abortion is to protect innocent children from abortion violence, which means that abortionists would be penalised for abortions - All modern abortion laws protect the women seeking abortions.
Miscarriages where a baby tragically dies in a woman’s womb, are not illegal. Any treatment needed after a natural miscarriage is not an abortion, and no one advocates criminalising women for miscarriage.
So, to clarify women will not be without support now that Roe has been overturned. We think if anything, this overturning proves that women do not need abortion.
The US pro-life movement have worked very hard to support mother’s and families in need. In the USA there are more than 3,000 pregnancy centres and 400 maternity homes. In fact, pregnancy centres outnumber abortion clinics by 5 to 1.
Similarly, States that are passing pro-life laws are also focusing on supporting women. For example, Texas has expanded their Alternatives to Abortion Program by $20 million. Abortion is not the only option and now this gives women an opportunity to explore their options properly and take the time to seek out real support.
Recently, since the news leaked about the plans for the Supreme Courts to overturn Roe v Wade, many Pregnancy Resource Centres have been attacked. The Supreme Court is being blamed for overturning Roe – it has been described as “Trumps Supreme Court” Pregnancy Centres are being described as “fake clinics” and we recently heard that a senator is demanding that google remove pregnancy help centres because pro-choicers want them off the map/grid completely.
Pregnancy centres are the ‘Heart’ of the pro-life movement; they are the light in the darkness, they offer women healing from abortion and resources for their children.
As if that wasn’t enough, Pregnancy centres have been accused of providing medical misinformation, including misinformation that abortion can cause mental illness and infertility. This ‘misinformation’ they are referring to is backed up by medical research and research professionals with PHD’s for that matter.
What pro-choicers seem to not realise, is they cannot defund pregnancy help centres - why? because they are supported by private donations, not by taxpayers’ dollars, therefore they cannot defund them.
Pregnancy centres are promoted by word of mouth – they do not need to advertise their services because what they do is effective.
Clients are overly grateful for the support they receive, we have worked in a pregnancy help centre, and have seen first-hand the effect this work has on mothers and families. As a result, the positive word spreads, which means more people come for support, and consequently, more people want to be involved with the centre.
It's a real shame that it has come to this, when all these centres are trying to do is offer women an alternative to abortion.
Pregnancy centres are the ‘Heart’ of the pro-life movement; they are the light in the darkness, they offer women healing from abortion and resources for their children. The work they do is effective. They provide support for women all the way through pregnancy and after the baby is born, they provide emotional support, counselling, practical help like baby clothes and equipment, some can help you access financial help. All the centres don’t see any government money, they run on volunteers and donations.
If the work they were doing was so bad, then surely that news would spread like wildfire. Every news outlet, blog etc would be talking about it. All it takes is one woman to share a negative experience….and that’s it, that centre will be forced to close its doors – But evidently, that hasn’t been the case.
The bottom-line is, the anger, the rage and the attacks are being pointed in the wrong direction. If all this outrage is about ‘choice’ then should these women be blocked from exploring their other choices?
So now that we know that abortion will still be legal in some states, and illegal or restricted in others. Now it’s all down to the individual state leaders – they have the option to choose life or choose death for unborn babies. To protect or not protect the life of the unborn. Yes, quite a lot of the states will (or have already chosen life) however, there are several states who have kept abortion legal - it’s still accessible, it just means travelling further for some women.
What about the UK?
Abortion in the UK is regulated by the 1967 Abortion Act. If a woman meets the criteria stated in the act, then abortion is allowed if it is signed off by two doctors. Abortion law is devolved to Scotland but there are so far no major deviations from the UK law.
To change the future of abortion in the UK is a big task, like it would be anywhere. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Hearts and minds need to change before laws will.
We do have pregnancy resource centres available in the UK but not many compared to the amount that are based in the USA. We desire to see more of these centres across the UK to help women and babies here.
Would you go to an organisation for counselling to get over abortion trauma, if that organisation carried out the procedure that caused the trauma?
We need to educate people on the reality of the unborn, the uniqueness of every human life from the moment of conception, the truth of abortion, and how abortion affects women afterwards. So much of what abortion is and does is hidden from the public. You won’t hear negative articles on the news, the media doesn’t want to go against the crowd, yet there are real women out there suffering in silence. There are others who are reaching out for the help they need, but the effects of abortion are not being discussed in public.
Any trauma can be immediate or delayed so it could affect a woman straight away or in 3-12 months, or even 20 years after. There’s no time limit.
The abortion industry tells you that only a very small number of women are affected negatively by abortion, but how do they know, if the women don’t reach out for help? and if they don’t reach out to the abortion centres for post-abortion counselling then how will they know? Would you go to an organisation for counselling to get over abortion trauma, if that organisation carried out the procedure that caused the trauma?
We need to educate people on the reality of the unborn, the uniqueness of every human life from the moment of conception, the truth of abortion, and how abortion affects women afterwards.
This decision by the Supreme Court has really upset one of the biggest businesses in America – abortion providers. When an industry makes as much money as the abortion industry makes, vast sums of money every year (over half a billion dollars of taxpayer’s money to be precise) goes to these providers so of course there will be push back and uproar.
Slavery made a lot of money for slave owners when it was legal. And when Abraham Lincoln tried to bring about abolition of slavery in America he was met with a lot of anger and opposition. Eventually though, abolition happened, and slaves were freed, and slavery was made illegal, and today society regards slavery as horrific and unthinkable.
Our hope is that one day abortion will be abolished, and that society views it as horrific and unthinkable.
Lastly, we pray that abortion supporters will come to know the love and long-lasting support, and passion that the pro-life supporters have for women and babies.
We pray anyone who has lost their job from a closed abortion facility will be able to find a better job somewhere else, that will provide better for their needs and fill them with joy and hope.
With Love and Blessings,
Choose Life Ministries
XOXO
Sources:
SPUC The overturn of Roe vs Wade A Fact sheet:
5. All UK abortion statistics are from National statistics, Abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2021, Published 21 June 2022,
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