Abortion is an issue that can hardly be ignored in this country. It plays a decisive role in local elections, in national elections, and in the nomination of judges to the Supreme Court. Each year hundreds of thousands of people participate in demonstrations and rallies to either protect or end the practice of abortion. The issue of abortion has prompted articles, books, sermons, speeches, yard signs, bumper stickers, billboards, and websites. It is truly the hot-button issue of the day.
Although abortion has always been an issue, it was pushed to the forefront of American politics when the United States Supreme Court ruled on the infamous Roe v. Wade case in 1973. The Court voted 7-2 to strike down Texas abortion laws and deemed abortion to be a fundamental right up to the point of viability. Doe v. Bolton was a lesser-known case decided at the same time. Abortion was legalized in every state.
Since the Roe v. Wade decision, more than 60 million babies have been killed in this country. Although the justices recognized that their decision was historic, they seemed to have had little understanding of what they unleashed that day. Several of the justices later indicated that they still thought abortion would be occasional and unusual. They never dreamed the gates would swing open so widely, but they did.
For those of us who believe that human life begins at conception, abortion is much more than a political issue. It is a moral issue. It is a Gospel issue. If life begins at conception then any deliberate act to end a pregnancy is murder. Abortion becomes an act of violence that takes the life of an innocent child, and we must be their voice!