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Nearly a half-century after it went into effect, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as Roe v. Wade is showing its age.
In the advent of 4D Ultrasound, in-utero surgeries and premiere care for premature infants, Roe seems like a relic from the past.
Roe legalized abortion in all 50 states, depriving individual citizens, through their duly-elected representatives, from having a say in abortion policy. It seems to represent a type of legal elitism which seems so out of step in our populist age.
Chances are great that the seven male justices who decided Roe never foresaw what Roe has wrought: nearly 63 million preborn babies killed in the past 49 years. Countless mothers have also been left to grieve children lost to abortion. Their sobering testimonies can be found at the Silent No More Awareness campaign online at www.silentnomoreawareness.org. In addition to that are the many men who regret their lost fatherhood as a result of legalized abortion. These men often suffer in silence, unable to grieve openly about the children they have lost.
The U.S. Supreme Court now has an opportunity to overturn Roe with a Mississippi case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case involves a 15-week ban on abortion—but it is more than that. It is a direct challenge to Roe. This case represents the opportunity of a lifetime to rid the nation of the disastrous Roe decision and return abortion policy to the individual states to decide.
Such a scenario is long overdue. Premature babies are being saved at ever-earlier stages of development, making the old viability standard passé. Overturning Roe would be a signal that the law is catching up with science and medical advancements. The late-term abortions which are now legal seem especially cruel, when premature infants are surviving as early as 21 and 22 weeks gestation.
Ultrasound has illuminated the humanity of the preborn child. People throughout the country have now grown up with Ultrasound images posted on their refrigerators, signaling the arrival of a new brother or sister. It is difficult to argue against the enchanting image of a child in utero, ready to make an appearance in the world. For many, an Ultrasound was their very first portrait, pointed to with pride by their captivated parents.
Yet, in Pennsylvania alone, more than 31,000 abortions occur in a given year. That’s the equivalent of the population of an entire city. If only those babies had been given a chance to be born, they would be populating our schools and playing fields, basketball courts and playgrounds. But their voices—and their laughter—have been forever silenced by abortion.
Roe was fatally flawed to begin with—even some abortion advocates have recognized that fact. Discarding Roe would mean not only the restoration of states’ rights in abortion policy, but a rebirth of sanity in American jurisprudence. 2022 should be the year when Roe is forced to go.
Maria V. Gallagher
Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation