📄The Areopagus Update – Summer 2022
The latest eruption in America’s ongoing culture war exploded prematurely on May 2, 2022 with the unauthorized leaking of a draft opinion from Associate Justice Samuel Alito indicating that the majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court favor invalidating the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision of 1973. The Roe decision, one of the most controversial renderings in the history of the court, arbitrarily established abortion “rights” nationwide in lieu of any reference to the issue in the U.S. Constitution. In the 50 years since then, some 63 million babies have been legally aborted.
To state the obvious, the most fundamental human right is the right to life. As Thomas Jefferson so eloquently wrote in the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.” This principle was reaffirmed in the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in which no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Until 1983, Sen. Joe Biden opposed Roe v. Wade. A decade earlier, he was quoted as saying, “I don’t like the Supreme Court decision on abortion. I think it went too far…. I don’t think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body.” Of course, Biden overlooked the fundamental problem with abortion: it doesn’t only affect the prospective mother’s body but that of another human being: the unborn child.
As late as 1982 Biden signed on to a constitutional amendment that would have allowed individual states to invalidate Roe v. Wade and draft their own abortion laws. At the time he cited his Catholic faith, explaining that “I’m probably a victim, or a product, however you want to phrase it, of my background.” But shortly thereafter, under pressure from the Democratic caucus, he reversed his position, stating that he had no right to “impose” his views on others. I’m fairly certain that the 63 million babies aborted over the past 50 years would argue otherwise.
Like other liberals and leftists, Biden would claim that his views on abortion “evolved” over the years – just as he, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats have “evolved” on issues related to same-sex “marriage” and the LGBTQ+ agenda. It is, of course, interesting that all of this “evolution” in consciousness always results in further secularizing, socializing, sexualizing and racializing our society and culture. Currently, Biden, Kamala Harris and their culture war allies are determined to use their power to force taxpayer funding of abortion and coerce pro-life medical personnel to participate in abortions.
Regarding the Roe decision, even former Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, perhaps the most ideologically liberal judge in Supreme Court history, questioned the dubious Constitutional basis on which Roe v. Wade was decided.
For Christians, abortion is not an option as the Bible unequivocally upholds the sanctity of all human life. Note, for example, passages such as Psalm 139:1314; Jeremiah 1:5; and Luke 1:39-45.
Likewise, the early church fathers condemned abortion and infanticide, both of which were common practices in Roman society at the time.
- Didache 2:2 – “Do not murder a child by abortion or kill a new-born infant.”
- Epistle of Barnabas 19:5 – “Do not murder a child by abortion nor destroy that which is born.”
For those who still dredge up the “prochoice” position on abortion, the question must be asked: the “choice” to do exactly what? In a free and decent society, we only have the freedom to do those things that do no harm to others.
Furthermore, the pro-choice argument regarding “viability”collapses when we focus on the paramount metaphysical reality – i.e., the issue of being. Is the fetus every bit as “human” as a newborn baby and an infant? If so, then no argument for abortion is justifiable either one minute prior to birth or one month after conception.
Many Republicans who support overturning Roe argue that abortion should be decided on a state-by-state basis. However, this ignores the fundamental issue: Abortion is a moral issue, not a political issue. Allowing state legislatures to decide whether pre-born babies can be killed is certainly more democratic but every bit as immoral as giving the Supreme Court that power. Abortion is a barbaric procedure. Many of us have all seen graphic videos of babies struggling to survive an abortion that are absolutely horrific.
Abortion is, indisputably, murder: the taking of innocent human life. Suffice it to say that anyone who is either “prochoice” or ambivalent about such a defining moral issue as abortion is not someone whose views should be taken seriously on any moral issue.
In 1969 John Lennon wrote the antiwar anthem “Give Peace a Chance.” I’ve always thought that someone in the prolife movement should write and record a variation on that theme. After all:
“All we are saying is… GIVE LIFE A CHANCE!”
For those who are still undecided on abortion, encourage them to check out https://www.str.org/w/the-sled-test and https://prolifetraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FiveMinute1.pdf.
Finally, if you know a woman who is struggling with post-abortion depression and seeking restoration, renewal and healing, encourage her to check out https://www.rachelsvineyard.org/.
Special thanks to Dan Segal for contributing to this article.
