State of Abortion

Last January, Christians watched New York lawmakers cheer as the governor signed an abortion bill allowing the procedure for any reason up until the child’s birth. Fearing that President Trump’s presumably conservative Supreme Court appointments will rule against Roe v. Wade, liberal state legislators have rushed to affirm their commitment to unrestricted abortion.

Meanwhile, pro-life state legislators are doing just the opposite, signing bills that increase restrictions so the US Supreme Court will hear their case and overturn Roe. Ohio, Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri—the list goes on. Alabama passed the most restrictive bill, including a 99-year prison sentence for doctors who perform abortions illegally.

“Many Americans, myself included, disagreed when Roe v. Wade was handed down in 1973,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey explained. “The sponsors of this bill believe that it is time, once again, for the US Supreme Court to revisit this important matter, and they believe this act may bring about the best opportunity for this to occur.”

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has already hinted at the ferocious legal battles to come. In a case where Indiana required the respectful disposal of fetal remains, pro-abortionists went to court to get it overturned. When the Supreme Court ruled that Indiana’s law was based on a reasonable state interest, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg openly stated that a pregnant woman “is not a ‘mother.’”

The battles to increase legal protection for the life of the unborn are encouraging and deserve our prayers and help, but a biblical, pro-life position relies on much more than politics. God calls on Christians to help the helpless (James 1:27), including children in need of adoption.

We don’t have to wait for laws to change. We can get involved now: volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, adopt a child and/or support those who do, or befriend and assist a pregnant woman. That’s the kind of “pro-life” position that honors the value of all life made in God’s image beginning at the moment of fertilization (Jeremiah 1:5).

New Limits on Early Abortions

With the conservative shift in the US Supreme Court, conservative states are rushing to pass more laws limiting surgical abortions. They are attempting to lower the gestational age limit from “viability” (18 weeks) to “fetal heartbeat” (6 weeks) or an outright ban.