And so, today, as the dream has become reality with the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, my younger self would be rejoicing.
But, I am not so young anymore.
Yes, I am still pro-life, but lived experience and complexity of our world means I have mixed feelings about this day, and even a bit of anxiety.
For starters, let's keep in mind what this legal decision does not do--make abortion disappear. Abortions happened before Roe and they will continue after today. You can't legislate your way out of a challenge like abortion. In fact, the actual impact of the Court's decision today may be fairly minimal. Contrary to the belief of some who celebrate today, the overturning of Roe v. Wade does not make abortion illegal in the United States. Instead, it pushes the decision on abortion back to the states. So, while conservative states will outlaw abortion, moderate and progressive states will largely keep abortion rights intact and may even choose to expand those rights. The fact is, many conservative states have already enacted strict abortion laws and have seen numbers plummet over the past decade as those laws have limited who can get an abortion and have shut down countless abortion clinics. Rather than ending abortion in places where they are happening unchecked, this legal decision only ends abortion in the places where they were already becoming rare.
If this legal decision miraculously made abortion nonexistent in the U.S. then it would be easier for me to rejoice. But, that will not be the reality. Yes, even a small decrease in abortion numbers would be good, but we also have to ask about the cost.
Second, it's hard for me to rejoice because of how we got here. It's no secret that evangelical Christianity has been a primary driver in the fight against abortion for the past three decades. And, I think this is rightfully so as the Christian faith clearly declares that all humans are made in the image of God and science has increasingly shown there is little division between a "fetus" and a human being. It's hard for anyone who has seen a 3D ultrasound and listened to the heartbeat of a child a mere few weeks old to deny that it is a human life.
However, in our efforts to reduce abortions, white evangelical Christians have sold their souls to political devils without concern for the consequences when it comes to pursuing anti-abortion legislation. The rise of Donald Trump and Trumpian politics in Christian circles is a perfect example of this. Despite the countless moral and character failings of politicians like Trump, many Christians were content to jump on board for the sake of a legal blow against abortion. As one friend of mine who voted for Trump put it, "It's all about the Supreme Court."
Even beyond Trump, Christians backed Republicans as they made increasingly questionable moves to secure a "judicially activist" court of their own making. From stonewalling a qualified court nominee for months on end during Obama's final term, to sticking with a nominee with concerning sexual assault allegations against him, to rushing through their own nominee in the final hours before an election and contradicting their own previous arguments, Republicans seemed willing to do whatever it cost to secure a court majority willing to pursue their own agenda.
Of course, these behaviors are not unique to Republicans (one could look at Democratic efforts to pack the court with more justices), but the underlying point is the rule of modern politics is that the ends justify the means. It doesn't matter what you say, who you back, or how dirty and bloody your hands get, as long as the end results turns out in your favor. With Trump, we were willing to excuse vulgar language, fear-mongering, sexual immorality, lack of self-control, questionable policy, xenophobia, racist language, and more, all for the sake of ending abortion. While there's little hope for that attitude to change in politics, Christians ought to follow a higher standard. For Christians, we leave the ends in God's hands and ensure that the means are Christ-like, humble, and point to the Kingdom of God (read the Sermon on the Mount if you need a reminder of this).
As I've said before, the strange alliance between white evangelical Christians and Trumpian politics has eroded trust in Christians and the witness of the Church almost more than anything else in recent history. I have friends whose children are questioning their faith because of the behaviors they see from "Christians" in the political arena. So, on a day like today, it's hard to get excited about the babies that might be saved when there certainly are a whole lot of bodies in our wake that we made on the way to get here. To cheer today after so much ugliness and un-Christlike behavior is like rewarding bas behavior. It's like telling a child "good job" for helping clear the table when he pushed all his siblings down and yelled at them to do so.
We can also turn this concern to the future. Now that Roe has been overturned, what is the next target our political lords will point us Christians at? The only thing that's certain is that there will be another target. Much of this fight was not just about abortion, but also about power. Republicans can count on evangelicals to vote for them as long as the support the fight to end abortion. Now that the dream of overturning Roe has been realized, they will need something else to energize us. After all, we're already hearing about how the Left will be motivated to vote during the midterms because of this massive defeat. Republicans will need a counter issue. Will the topic be same-sex marriage? Critical Race Theory and civil rights? Immigration? Whatever it will be, there will always be some political interest to pull our strings and corrupt our Christian witness with "necessary" ethical and moral sacrifices for "the cause."
The problem with not caring about the means on the way to our goals is that there are always unintended consequences. What will those unintended consequences be here?
One potential consequence is the legal ramifications of this decision in other areas. In making its decision on Roe, the Court's majority pointed to the lack of a "Constitutional" protection for abortion. Without getting into a deep philosophical legal discussion about the best interpretations of the Constitution, it should be noted that an "originalist" reading of the Constitution has its limitations because there are many things generally accepted today that are not mentioned in the Constitution. Just because something is or isn't in the Constitution doesn't make it morally acceptable (after all, the Constitution in its most "original" form allowed slavery).
For example, interracial marriage is not directly addressed in the Constitution. Neither is access to birth control by married couples. Yet, the freedom to choose both of these things has been enacted and protected by the court in the past. Does the decision concerning Roe v. Wade today open up the door to reverse countless decisions like this because they are not "constitutional"? Could a whole host of decisions be turned back to the states? If so, this could easily open up the door to many discriminatory practices returning in society. And in case you think this is far-fetched, consider that Justice Clarence Thomas has already hinted that these types of decisions could be on the table in the future in the aftermath of today's decision. Could our enthusiasm to end abortion open up other pitfalls for us and our neighbors?
This leads to a third concern over today--will Christians step up? Growing up, abortion was often presented as a sick practice sought by women and parents who didn't want their babies. Or, in cases where parents wanted to keep their babies, it was doctors who malevolently suggested abortion in difficult circumstances of malformations and disease. Feminists were also to blame because they placed working life above family life.
However, as I've grown older and listened to countless stories (and even faced an unplanned pregnancy myself), I've come to realize that the situation is more complex. Yes, there are women who simply don't want their babies for selfish reasons, but there's usually much more to it than that. Many women who seek abortions already have children, but might be in situations where they really would struggle to care for another child. Indeed, studies have shown that existing children whose mother is denied an abortion for a new child are more likely to experience developmental delays and poverty. Other women have been raped and either are not ready to have a child, fear the child will remind them of the rape, or live in a state that will give the rapist parental rights and continued access to the victim.
Then, many others face the impossible choice of wanting a baby, but the baby develops a health condition which makes viability of the child nearly impossible. In these situations, we must remember that, despite our amazing advances in medicine, childbirth is still a risky process for the mother. Indeed, one friend of ours nearly died during the birth of her first child with an otherwise healthy pregnancy. In situations where giving birth becomes even riskier for the mother, how do you easily choose between your life and the life of a baby who will likely die even if everything else goes well? It's a difficult decision, and every couple and woman is different in how they will handle it. Some will accept the risk to their own life and pray their child also lives or will do so to hold their child for its few minutes of life. Others will look at the probabilities and not want to chance it. These are incredibly painful and difficult personal choices that are hard to legislate or create one-size-fits-all solutions for.
With all this complexity, though, one theme is consistent: tragedy. The hidden truth few want to acknowledge (because it doesn't fit our political mantras) is that no one really wants abortions to have to happen. An abortion always signals a tragedy or disappointment of some kind. No one is intentionally getting pregnant just so they can get an abortion (which is why comparing abortion to "murder" is problematic). Even someone pursuing abortion for selfish reasons to preserve their career is not particularly happy about having to actually get an abortion. An abortion represents a miscarriage, health problems, poverty, teen pregnancy, rape, career and family plans upended. There's always pain and disappointment in the background. Even for those who have no problem with an abortion and will get one without a second thought, the actual abortion is still likely an inconvenience they'd rather not have.
So, I return to my question--will Christians step up? We claim to be "pro-life," but will we step up and support the women and families of those we are now forbidding from getting an abortion? Now that Roe is overturned, will churches begin emphasizing adoption and foster care as a pressing concern for its members in the same way it emphasized voting against abortion? Will we be there to take the child as an alternative to abortion when a women cannot care for that child?
Will we aggressively seek to alleviate poverty and racial discrimination that create situations of disparity in society? If these forces drive people to seek abortions, let us walk alongside people to give them options besides abortion.
Will the church stand firmly against rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment, or will we continue to ignore these very issues among our own clergy and congregations, permitting the very culture that is one cause of abortion?
Will we advocate for better and more accessible medical care for everyone so that those facing impossible choices also have the best doctors and treatments at their disposal? Or will we be content with millions of uninsured women and turn a blind eye to their plight?
And perhaps toughest of all, are we ready to stand with families who have lost a mother to a pregnancy gone wrong that an abortion could have prevented? Are we ready to explain to the surviving children that their mother's life is a small sacrifice for saving thousands of other children like them?
While I'd love to believe that the church will step up in the coming years and truly be "pro-life" for the lives of those who will be affected by today's decision, truth be told, I'm not holding my breath. Certainly, there are many Christians who volunteer or work at crisis-pregnancy centers, foster and adopt, or offer individual support to neighbors who are contemplating abortion. But I've also seen too often over the past years how the church has ignored offering these types of support and has marched on single-mindedly against legal abortion and LGBTQ rights. Rather than stepping up to actually make abortion unthinkable, I fear many Christians will be content with the legal win and will move on to the next legal battle (like overturning Obergefell v. Hodges).
All this may sound like I am pro-Roe or pro-abortion, but that is not necessarily true. Incidentally, today is my middle daughter's birthday. On a day we celebrate her birth, I do recognize that today's decision will result in some lives being saved and born. Some children will have the chance to live just like my daughter. That is a good thing.
However, the question remains--what kind of life will they live? Will it do any good to bring them into this world if they live a miserable life? Will it do any good for the church if our actions continue to alienate that child whose life we "saved"? Just as importantly, what harm are we doing to women when all we care about is a legal restriction and ignore complexities? I would love to see abortion rates drop. I don't think a child should be killed simply because their father is a rapist. I believe that a poor woman can have options besides abortion. However, I also know that withholding abortion in these situations without also giving support to the women affected or ignoring their concerns and wishes is to be complicit in their suffering.
At the end of the day, I'm hopeful that some good may come of this, but also fearful that unintended damage will also follow. My emotions are complex, much like the issue of abortion itself. But, at the end of the day, I will simply commit myself to the same task I had before today--loving my neighbor as myself. I will open up my home to foster children. I will work to fight poverty in my community. I will pray for those who are pregnant. I will speak out against laws that create unnecessary hardships for those in my community. I do these things because, at the end of the day, it's not good enough to be anti-abortion, I must be pro-life. I do these things because I am not called to merely care about the ends, but to ensure my means speak witness to the risen Christ and not merely a lust for political power.
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