Roe v. Wade Overturned!

This past Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States overruled a nearly 50 year-old previous Supreme Court ruling which created the "right" to have abortions in our country.

"For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You."

(Psalm 139:13-18)

This past Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States overruled a nearly 50 year-old previous Supreme Court ruling which created the "right" to have abortions in our country. The court decided that there is, in fact, no constitutional right to abortion, and the states have the right to regulate it individually, as they see fit. USA Today states:

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Americans no longer have a constitutional right to abortion, a watershed decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and erased a reproductive right that had been in place for nearly five decades.

In the court's most closely watched and controversial case in years, a majority of the justices – all of whom were appointed by Republican presidents – held that the right to end a pregnancy was not found in the text of the Constitution nor the nation's history.

Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote the opinion for a 6-3 majority, with the court's liberal justices in dissent.

"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Alito wrote for the majority. "Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences."

"It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives," Alito wrote.

I am grateful for the Supreme Court's ruling and pray that there will someday be zero abortions in our land. Why? All life is precious and created by God, and humans are created in God's image. Outside of defense from violent attack, no human being has the right to take the life of another, especially an innocent child. I am grateful to God that my mother gave birth to me, and everyone reading this had a mom who did the same. God's Word is very clear on the matter of the unborn. No clearer words could be written than our biblical text for today, Psalm 139.

I have long been and will continue to be pro-life. From the womb to natural death, life is valued and should be protected. I have marched in pro-life rallies, financially supported pro-life ministries, spoken up for life in downtown Austin at our state's capitol, and peacefully and prayerfully protested outside abortion clinics. I also support ministries that help moms who choose life. That is a critical part of being pro-life. Our work does not end at birth. There are wonderful ministries here in Austin and throughout our country that genuinely love and care for both newborns and their moms.

This is a great day for our nation. I am grateful to God for the six justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. Let us continue to champion life and do everything we can as the Church of Jesus Christ to care for and minister to every mom and their babies.