Indefensible Roe – The Cultural Track

Roe’s invention of a constitutional right to abortion undercut any honest conversation about the intrinsic value of human life.

The detrimental effects of Roe on American culture are too numerous to catalog. But the denial of the humanity of the unborn sits at the root of it all.

Today, as we commemorate the 49th March for Life, protesting the harrowing Roe v. Wade 1973 decision that invented a constitutional right to abortion, let us consider why culturally speaking, Roe is indefensible.

Few would deny the fact that we are living in contentious times. We are a divided nation. Many are shouting, but few are listening. It is not mere disagreement. We are way past that. The people who stand opposite you, in many circles, are not even worthy of consideration. They are a sort of sub-human.

If this seems shocking to you, just consider the way we are treating each other on the topic of the COVID vaccines. Radio shock jock Howard Stern recently said on his popular radio show, “If it was up to me, anyone unvaccinated would not be admitted to a hospital.” And he is, unfortunately, not alone. But, again, I’m really not talking about the vaccine issue here, but about the warped mentality that would say to his neighbor, if I had my way, “all hospitals would be closed to you. You’re going to go home and die,” over a health policy disagreement.

Facts have nothing to do with it. Your side or my side is all that matters. Facts will be accommodated accordingly. Take a look at this example from a woman complaining about the negligent handling of a recent snowstorm in Virginia.

Again, the characters and topic involved are not the issue. She thought “those people” were in charge, so everything was horrible, proof that they didn’t care. But when someone pointed out it was “her people” in charge, suddenly, the facts changed. “Thank goodness,” she says, and the conclusion is the exact opposite: “my people” care.

That is the culture we have created. It is a culture that dehumanizes opponents. A culture that follows its own appetites and accommodates facts to support its preferred conclusions. Just think of the injustice committed against women because the culture says we must support the conclusion that a biological man who says he is a woman is, in fact, a woman.

How does a society reach this point?

I submit to you that one of the major contributors that got us to this point was the forced deception instituted in Roe. It is where the pro-abortion obsession with “my body” comes. The humanity of the baby must be denied at all costs. It is my body, not two bodies. You are not allowed to believe otherwise. If you deny that, like the woman facing the snowstorm, they will affirm you just don’t care.

Roe demands that we ignore reality.

“When does life begin?” is the most basic question on the issue of abortion. It is the one question that they do not want to answer. All kinds of rhetorical tricks must be employed to avoid the baby's humanity. It is why they call themselves pro-choice, not pro-abortion. But what is the choice? When you “terminate a pregnancy,” what is precisely being terminated? What is it that is being sucked out of the womb and discarded or even sold or donated by body parts?

Roe’s invention of a constitutional right to abortion undercut any honest conversation about the intrinsic value of human life. The country was forced into accepting a great evil without proper consideration. But the science and the reality of the pain it causes women has caught up with the lie of a supposed constitutional right.

It is why today, the tide is turning. There is no hiding the pain of abortion. Ultrasound images show life in the womb.

A new Marist/Knights of Columbus poll shows 71% of Americans support strict limits on abortion. A whopping 81% want laws that protect both the mother and the baby. Americans want to, in fact, recognize not only “your body” but also the baby’s.

We have a real opportunity to turn things around in our culture if the Supreme Court does the right thing in Dobbs. But, as in the time of Roe, a full-on army intends to oppose any movement towards recognizing the humanity of the baby. And if the Supreme Court decides to ignore reality and continue to force abortion on demand in our culture, we can only expect even more cultural decline.