The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments for and against a Mississippi law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks. The arguments – pro and con – are familiar, but there is a greater argument to be made for upholding the law and, should a majority of justices decide to do so, overturn Roe v. Wade.
That greater argument begins with several questions that may be connected to abortion. They include: Why is there so much looting? Why the indiscriminate destruction of property? Why are there so many shootings in our major cities? Disrespect for and devaluing babies yet to be born has led to disrespecting the lives of those already born, along with property that belongs to others. How else to describe what looks like anarchy in our streets?
Those who wish to maintain the abortion status quo claim overturning Roe will cause the country to be torn apart. It is already torn apart in many ways in addition to the divisions over abortion. Since 1973 when abortion became legal, an estimated 62 million babies have been aborted in this country.
At a time when the label “racist” is freely and in many cases wrongly applied, real racism is taking place in many abortion clinics. Former Vice President Mike Pence noted this in a speech he delivered Tuesday to a gathering of pro-lifers convened by the Susan B. Anthony List organization. Pence noted: “Despite being less than one-third of the population, Blacks and Hispanics account for nearly two-thirds of all abortions performed.”
Technology has advanced since 1973 when Roe was decided. Pence alluded to those advances that now allow sonograms to see with amazing detail the human body that is under development: “Thanks to advances in modern medicine, the humanity of a 15-week-old child in the womb is undeniable. At 15 weeks of development, a baby’s face is well-formed. She has fingernails, eyebrows and hair. She can make a fist and suck her thumb. She has a beating heart. She can feel pain. And she is created in the image of God, the same as you or me.”