Forty years after the Roe v. Wade decision, the legal debate is still not over.
Assistant Professor of Politics John Grant and Associate Professor of Philosophy Nathan Schlueter joined “Abuse of Discretion” author Clarke Forsythe for a panel discussion about the legal aspects of Roe v. Wade on Tuesday, Feb 11.
Students For Life hosted the event in order to bring attention to newly-released legal documents surrounding the historic case.
“After 40 years, so much information has come out about Roe v. Wade that no one really knew,” SFL board member and freshman Cheyenne Trimels said. “Mr. Forsythe has researched the case for 20 years and has written down the behind-the-scenes mistakes the Supreme Court made without foreseeing the consequences that the law would have.”
The event began with a 30-minute lecture from Forsythe, followed by remarks from Schlueter and Grant, and concluded with a longer Q&A session with the audience.
“A lot of pro-choice arguments lack up-to-date medical facts, and a lot of pro-life arguments become too emotional. You don’t often have the chance to see the legal perspective,” Trimels said.
While the majority of the conversation centered on the legal debate, Grant framed his remarks from a primarily moral perspective.
“People are really interested in Roe v. Wade but don’t tie it into the larger cultural movement toward sexual liberation, no-fault divorce, and the collapse of the family,” Grant said. “Most abortions are procured by unmarried women, who are also the No. 1 group in poverty in America.”
Legal topics that came up during the event were such questions as what point a fetus becomes a human being, the circumstances under which Roe v. Wade was passed, and current pro-life legislation being proposed by Forsythe’s organization, Americans United For Life.
“Part of the reason we are doing this is to show people diversity in the pro-life movement,” SFL Secretary and sophomore Mattie Vander Bleek said. “You have to fight fire with fire. The moral side is great, but it doesn’t make abortion illegal. Laws make it illegal. People say you can’t legislate morality, but laws inform the social conscience of a nation.”
Vander Bleek had the opportunity to work for Americans United for Life as an intern last summer and became acquainted with Forsythe as a professional mentor.
“Mr. Forsythe is a great writer and very helpful for anyone who wants to be involved in the pro-life movement,” Vander Bleek said. “I’m glad he came, because we have a problem with apathy on campus and, after listening to his talk, students have an opportunity to be optimistic.”
