June 24, marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and held that there is no constitutional right to abortion.
Not surprisingly, the Left responded with an apocalyptic tone. Their false and alarmist claims of fascism, a war on women, and systematic inequality due to the Supreme Court’s decision even went so far as to lead to dozens of violent attacks on pro-life groups across the country.
But as it turns out, Dobbs didn’t lead to a catastrophe for women’s rights across the country at all. Instead, it merely returned the contentious issue of abortion to the states, where the people could debate the merits of the issue for themselves and let their elected representatives reflect those beliefs. This principle is the core of self-government, which asserts that the people – not the courts – are our nation’s true source of authority.
But for the pro-life movement, this first anniversary of Dobbs raises a new question: What comes next?
HOUSE DEMS WILL USE RARE PROCEDURAL MANEUVER TO FORCE REPUBLICANS TO VOTE ON ABORTION RIGHTS
First and foremost, the pro-life movement must support greater protection of life for both mothers and the unborn. States have already been taking action. Currently, 15 states have moved to limit abortions and safeguard mothers and their babies either entirely or after the first heartbeat. Other states have implemented protections at various stages of pregnancy – all with the intent of preserving life to a greater extent.
Nearly three in four Americans agree that not just one, but two lives are at stake in the abortion debate, and these state-level actions are encouraging examples of the American people working through state legislatures to make their voices heard.
As the true pro-woman movement, we know that the issue doesn’t simply stop at protecting life. Instead, our goal is to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. Therefore, our work must be to provide unconditional love and support for all parties involved in the abortion debate: the unborn baby, the mother and the father.
That’s why investment in foster care, adoption, maternal health care and resources for mothers facing unwanted pregnancy is so essential in the days ahead. Thank God we have tens of thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of new lives that will be saved every year going forward, but we also need to be prepared to step up and meet the needs of so many new mothers.
Thankfully, thousands of pregnancy resource centers nationwide are already doing much of this vital work. Today, more than 3,000 pregnancy resource centers across the country – staffed almost entirely by volunteers – offer vulnerable women some of the resources they need to take care of their babies.
These services include free or low-cost medical care, consultations, ultrasounds, counseling, child care resources and other services women need. In just one year alone, these pregnancy resource centers served nearly 2 million women, with a total value of care at an estimated $260 million.
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As we stand today, one year after Dobbs, we can celebrate the most significant win for life in generations: the supposed "right" to abortion is no longer recognized as a substantive right in our Constitution.
Nonetheless, our work is far from over. My uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., famously said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Though some states have moved boldly to protect life for mothers and their babies in the past year, there remains much work for us to do to build a comprehensive culture of life and show our love for unborn babies and their vulnerable mothers.
Our call as believers is to cherish all life, in every stage, from the unborn baby to the vulnerable mother, to the elderly and infirm. When we fully live out this truth in our lives, we can then be said to be a culture that values all its children, from the womb to the tomb and beyond.
