Responding to the Overturn of Roe: An introduction
To gain some understanding around the overturn of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, we as church leaders are producing a multi-part series of articles and videos intended to inform and highlight the central questions. This is the first part, and it is introductory. The second part is on this website, too, and includes 4 response videos. If you have questions, please send them to hello@arrowhad.church.
After 49 years and some 63 million abortions, Roe v. Wade is no longer. In summary, Roe asserted a constitutional right to abortion in the US. It did not make law, but rather opened the door for each state to in many ways govern itself around the practice. Since its abolition, states may now outlaw the practice, as Tennessee (our home state) has done.
Our response is celebration. Due to the sensitivity around the variety of convictions, some may question whether it’s appropriate to do so, but the collapse of injustice is cause for joy. Consider the oppression of the Israelites by the Philistines and David’s defeat of Goliath. Of course there is cause for celebration - those with no voice, loved by God, are free! Still, there remains a difference between celebration and gloating. The experience of abortion may be painful, and the lies believed to justify it are deep-rooted. So, it’s right to celebrate but wrong to gloat! Be kind, and bring people together.
The central issue is the life of the child. The body of the mother is not the body of the child. Ending the life of a child is murder. This is a tough truth to swallow for many, but the fact remains that life begins at conception. Some may say the baby (or “fetus”) isn’t viable, but this argument simply doesn’t hold up. Even a young child cannot care for itself for many years, and it is inconsistent to draw distinctions in the womb.
The overwhelming majority of abortions are elective. Meaning, the often repeated “what abouts” are a much smaller issue than those on the other side would want us to believe. In fact, statistics say that less than half of 1% of abortions are for the life of the mother, rape, or incest. Christians may disagree on this, but our position is that the life of a child may be taken when doctors determine the mother’s life is expected to be lost should the pregnancy continue. Incest and rape are very difficult to process, but the fact remains that the taking of the baby’s life is wrong.
Pregnancy brings responsibility. The mother and the father bear the weight of bringing a child into the world. This is non-negotioble. Fathers must step forward and care for their children. Still, we know many won’t. Christians are more than willing to help carry the load. Churches, pregnancy help centers, and other organizations recognize the need and have been standing in the gap already. We must continue.
