Revisiting Roe v. Wade

Another senior moment arrived when I realized how little I really know about Roe vs. Wade. I knew its main thrust but not all of the intricacies. Let me share some of these with you

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling both allowed and encouraged abortion-on-demand. This was based on an interpretation of the 14th Amendment's constitutional right to privacy. Because laws against abortion supposedly violated privacy, all State and Federal laws outlawing or restricting abortion were overturned.

The Supreme Court could not agree on when life begins, at conception or sometime later in the pregnancy. Had it decided that life begins at conception, this ruling could not have been made. Because the Roe v. Wade decision was made in this light, it has been highly controversial and
remains so. Actually, the Supreme Court decision never did declare abortion itself to be a constitutional right

The 14th Amendment in effect says this:. . . nor shall any State deprive a person of life, liberty or property, without the due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law. If the origin of personhood were to be established at conception, the case for Roe, who sought an abortion, would collapse.

It is estimated that probably there have been between 40-50 million abortions in the US since 1973 (about 3,700 per day) although some abortions are not recorded. Abortions occur mostly among never-married women (64.4%) and most occur among women under 25 years of age (52%). 1% of abortions occur because of rape, 6% because of potential health problems of either the baby or the mother. 93% abortions occur for social reasons (the child is unwanted or inconvenient). 47% of abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion (data taken from The Center of Bio-Ethical Reform and may vary somewhat from other statistics)

The major problem is for a national agreement that life begins at conception. This could well be held by a majority of American people but is dependent upon some kind of legal action (e.g. Supreme Court, Congress or a majority vote cast by the people in a national election). 

One possibility to bring this to the attention of the people and its leaders is a proposal by The Life at Conception Act proposed by The National Pro-Life Alliance which will not occur without a fight. Be on the lookout for TV, radio and newspaper ads. There will be extensive lobbying, direct mail and a telephone campaign among other kinds of public awareness

There is a feeling that pro-abortionists are quite vocal but still may be a minority as far as the public goes. Keep your eyes and minds open.