December 3, 2021: Abortion rights are back in the spotlight (for good reason)
The end of Roe v. Wade?
Your feed has probably been blowing up with the abortion debate again. Here’s what you need to know.
What's going on
This week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health — and it’s being called “the most significant challenge to Roe v. Wade” in decades.
While SCOTUS likely won’t have a ruling until June 2022, the potential outcome has advocates and protestors from both sides taking to the streets (and to social media).
What might change
If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, it would undermine 50 years of rulings set by the Roe v. Wade precedent. IF Roe were to be overturned, abortion rights would fall to individual states to determine, and many conservative states have laws ready to go that would significantly restrict the access to abortion that has grown throughout our lifetime.
What's not going to change
That life begins at conception. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the drama of the legal battles that determine access to abortion. But a ban at 6 weeks (heartbeat) or 15 weeks or 24 weeks doesn’t change the truth that all life is precious and begins at the moment of conception.
It also doesn’t change that women facing difficult or unplanned pregnancies need support. Many women are in dire circumstances and feel they have no choice but to seek an abortion. Other women are intimidated by the career setbacks of pregnancy and motherhood.
So what do we do?
Whatever the legal status of abortion, we need to do more to support the women who will consider it. That’s what building a culture of life really looks like.
For advice on how to talk about these issues with family, friends, and colleagues check out this past edition of The Insight.
Here are a few other top picks for the week...
READ: What Does the Church Teach About Abortion When it Comes to Maternal Health?
How can we claim to respect the life and dignity of all when it appears to place the burden of carrying even life-threatening pregnancies to term on the shoulders of women?
LISTEN: Dr. Brené Brown: On Holding Boundaries & Facing Our Fear
A validating conversation about how women’s professional work is often segmented or belittled if you’ve ever felt like your expertise has been overlooked or undermined in your field!
WATCH: Learning to Love the F-Word - Embracing Pro-Life Feminism
Whole-life advocate and founder of Rehumanize International, Aimee Murphy explores why true feminism is a pro-life feminism.