For many pro-lifers, June 24th, 2022 marked the end of a long and laborious struggle. Roe v Wade was finally overturned, therefore saving the lives of countless innocent babies.
While the overturning of Roe was most definitely a huge win for the pro-life cause, it most certainly isn’t the end of the fight. In many ways, the conflict has intensified and a new phase of the fight has just begun.
The Dobbs decision has shifted the abortion discussion from the federal level, down to the states. Which, predictably, caused some state abortion numbers to plummet while others rose drastically.
According to the New York Times, “legal abortions nationwide declined by more than 10,000, a drop of about 6 percent” in the first two months after Roe was overturned. This was mainly due to several states immediately introducing strong protections for pre-born children as soon as the Dobbs decision was finalized.
While this is a cause for celebration, we must also consider that (according to the NYT) up to 12,000 more abortions were performed in states where the procedure remained legal, and it’s estimated that roughly half the women who were unable to get abortions in their home state traveled to another state to obtain one.
However, even with those numbers, it looks as though thousands of would-be abortions were not acted upon due to newly enacted state laws.
Although the overturning of Roe was, and is, a huge victory in the fight for life, the battle isn’t over. And while the legal battle is incredibly important, we must also remember that the culture war is equally as important.
Unless there is a change in the hearts and minds of Americans, abortion will continue to occur in this country. Obviously, pro-life legislation is critical, but it is a shift in the mindset of Americans that is necessary to abolish abortion.
Source: www.nytimes.com/2022/10/30/upshot/legal-abortions-fall-roe.html
