Mike Gilland
Our country is still in the process of absorbing and, as my friends in the UK would say, “sorting out” the landmark decision the United States Supreme Court handed down Friday.
In Dobbs v. Jackson, the Supreme Court did something very rare, and something amazingly significant. They overturned the infamous Roe v. Wade decision from 1973, the case that was itself a landmark ruling.
Since Roe v. Wade, abortionists have had a federal covering to claim that a right to abortion was guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
In the loudest and clearest language imaginable, Friday’s overturning of that decision deemed Roe bad policy from the get-go.
“Like the infamous decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, Roe was also egregiously wrong and on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority, invoking the “separate but equal” ruling that upheld racial segregation and also stood for half a century.
Now, the responsibility for the laws that either condemn, restrict, or allow abortions now goes back to each individual state.
This is an amazing win for anyone who believes in a Christian worldview, who trusts God and His Word, and who lives with a biblical conviction regarding the sanctity of human life.
In Psalm 139:13, we read:
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”
And, in Matthew 19:14, we read:
“…but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’”
In spite of the language given to women by pro-abortion doctors, that “fetus” in the womb is a baby, a human being, made in the image of God, and it matters to God what happens to him or her.
I have heard the rhetoric that proponents have built into the abortion debate. I have heard the untruths given to women facing an unexpected, or unwanted pregnancy.
But here’s the reality: Friday’s decision was good news for women, too. Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco found that, among women who sought abortions and were unable to obtain one, a whopping 95% ended up glad they had the baby.
This finding aligns with my experience as a pastor with over 36 years of counseling experience. I never once talked to a woman who had an abortion and didn’t regret it deeply, for their lives were broken in sorrow over the realization that came too late, for their baby—and for themselves.
I am grateful to God that this horrendous ruling from the 1970s has been struck down, and now the pro-life work continues at the state level.
Friday was truly historic, a day many have anticipated for almost 50 years. I thank our God for an answer to prayer.
Mike Gilland is operations manager for The Shepherd Radio Network, a group of Florida stations featuring the “Christian Teach/Talk” format. He is a former Gainesville pastor and writes a weekly religion column for Mainstreet Daily News.