 |
| Gov. Kay Ivey (AP News) |
I heartily applaud Alabama for (effectively) banning the barbaric practice of abortion! Undoubtedly, this law will soon be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, which will hopefully result in the long overdue overturning of Roe v. Wade.
However, we must keep in mind that while changing the law is important, even more important is the changing of hearts and minds. We can and should completely ban abortion by law, but the reality is that laws can and do change frequently, and unfortunately many people will still obtain abortions illegally.
If Roe v. Wade was overturned tomorrow, it would undoubtedly save countless innocent lives. However, we would be back in the same boat we were in prior to 1973. Abortion would still be legal in many states, and pro-choice advocates would immediately start working overtime to reverse the decision. A couple liberal Supreme Court appointments later and the cycle will repeat itself.
Until we are able to instill a respect for the intrinsic value of a human life, back into society, the fight over abortion will not be won. As St. John Paul II said in Evangelium Vitae, we must transform our society from a culture of death to a culture of life.
So yes, we must work tirelessly to give the unborn the full protection of the law, but we must work just as hard, if not harder, to change the hearts and minds of our fellow human beings. Because if human life has no value, then what does have value? The right to life is the very centerpoint of not only the U.S. Constitution, but also natural law. Once human life becomes something we can toss aside, all other morality soon follows.
We must continue to speak out against the evil of abortion, even if the law changes. We must show compassion to mothers who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. The pro-life movement must continue to support women when they do choose life, creating viable and readily accessible alternatives to abortion. We should push for funding for crisis pregnancy centers (instead of for Planned Parenthood), and reform the adoption and foster care systems, to make it easier for couples to adopt and for mothers to give their child up for adoption. When a woman is facing a challenging pregnancy, pro-lifers must be the first to reach out with assistance. We need to make the alternatives to abortion so effective, so easy, that choosing life becomes the common-sense decision.
In short, we need to make abortion not only illegal, but more importantly, unthinkable.
