On the first Sunday of every October, Americans who believe in the intrinsic value of life line the streets near local abortion clinics in more than 2,000 cities.
Participants are silent, praying quietly for anywhere between an hour and 90 minutes. They hold signs with messages like: “Abortion Kills Children” and “Pray to End Abortion” — many bring their children.
Last Sunday, I attended a Life Chain event in Dayton, Ohio, an annual tradition for my family. As I stood in the light rain, holding a sign that read “Adoption, the Loving Option,” I was struck by the response of onlookers.
Honking and thumbs up signs from passing cars outnumbered instances of angry shouting, the finger, or thumbs down. What struck me was the sheer number of drivers staring stonily ahead, ignoring us. It was as though by ignoring us they could ignore the issue.
Since Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that effectively legalized abortion-on-demand in the United States, more than 62 million infants have been slaughtered within their mother’s wombs.
But this slaughter of our children, literally sucking the life out of our nation’s future may be almost over — over the last few months, the pro-life cause has gained won many victories.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case from Mississippi that directly challenges the constitutionality of Roe v. Wade.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that will ban all abortions when the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in June.
Texas also passed the Texas Heartbeat Act in August, which wasn’t struck down by the Supreme Court when it went into effect in early September.
The series of court cases and laws in the recent months feels like a sudden break after almost 50 years of fighting, and many on the pro-life battlefield are celebrating — as they should.
But the fight isn’t over yet, and it won’t be over even if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
If next year the Supreme Court reverses a decision that has cost the lives of so many innocent Americans, that decision goes to the states.
According to Business Insider, a mere 10 states have laws that would immediately restrict abortion, and only 14 have laws that would protect abortion.
Michigan currently has unenforceable abortion bans from before Roe v. Wade passed.
The wall behind our opponents isn’t the state legislature, though.
According to a poll by the Pew Research Center, in 2019, 61% of Americans supported abortion being legal in all or most cases.
The problem is not Roe v. Wade, and it’s not state legislatures.
This fight is found in the minds and hearts of our next-door neighbors, our coworkers, our fellow students, our business associates, and our peers.
We need to appeal to the drivers who stare stonily ahead, hoping that abortion will go away if they ignore it. It hasn’t, and it won’t.