The nation marked the one-year anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (the Dobbs decision), which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, over last weekend, with rallies that were both pro-life and pro-choice.
To the pro-choice activist, the Roe v. Wade decision affirmed a woman’s right to an abortion, allowing her to “own” decisions regarding her health and her body. But even the champion of the left, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, disliked the decision, calling it a “faulty decision.” She believed that the decision was too far-reaching and too sweeping, giving pro-life activists a very tangible target to rally against. Said Ginsburg, “my criticism of Roe is that it seemed to have stopped the momentum on the side of change. Roe isn’t really about the woman’s choice, is it? It’s about the doctor’s freedom to practice…it wasn’t woman-centered, it was physician-centered.”
Interestingly, Ginsburg had spoken about the case she wished had been heard by the Supreme Court, Struck v. Secretary of Defense. Ginsburg represented Captain Susan Struck, who became pregnant while serving in the Air Force in Viet Nam. The Air Force told her to either terminate the pregnancy or leave the Air Force. Struck wanted to keep the baby and her job. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, but the Air Force backed down, allowing Struck to keep her job and her baby. Said Ginsburg, “I wish that would’ve been the first case. I think the Court would’ve better understood that this is about women’s choice.” Few, if any pro-choice recognize that their champion wanted to try the case of a woman who desired to keep her baby, not terminate a pregnancy, as the way to grow women’s rights.
It is estimated that more than 63 million babies have been aborted between when Roe became law in 1973 and May 2022. That is 63 million lives lost. Who was never born? What great statesman, scientist, religious leader, or mother, never had the chance to live up to his or her potential? Never had the chance to realize a dream. How many women have gone to sleep each night wondering what would have been, if only they had made a different decision.
I never thought too much about abortion while growing up. My family wasn’t overly religious nor were we activists for one side or the other, we were simply Americans living our lives. People debated the issue when I was in college, mostly taking the pro-choice side, given the liberal leanings of Northwestern University. Again, I listened, but didn’t really participate. It didn’t impact me, and I didn’t care enough to care.
Fast-forward to the day I learned that my wife was pregnant with our son. I had just come home from a concert with friends and found a positive home pregnancy test on the bathroom vanity. I had never been so happy! As the pregnancy progressed, the doctor asked if we wanted to have an amniocentesis, the amnio test, performed to make sure the baby was “normal.” My wife and I had discussed this prior to her pregnancy and had decided that we would perform the test and terminate the pregnancy if any abnormalities were detected. But something strange happened that Wednesday morning in late 2000. We both immediately replied “no.” That was the day I affirmed my pro-life position.
My wife is now my ex-wife, although she is still an amazing woman, and our two children are both young adults, with their futures ahead of them. I am still pro-life, and I celebrated the Dobbs decision. Try as I may, I could never find anything in the Constitution about abortion. I also saw the hypocrisy of the left on this issue. The same people who scream “my body my choice,” were also screaming that people should be forced to get the COVID-19 vaccine. I am not sure how they square that circle.
The topic of abortion often comes up on a second or third date when a potential girlfriend asks about my conservative beliefs. My response is always the same, “as a former fetus, I am glad that I wasn’t aborted.”