Pro-lifers look forward to turnaround

After appointment of two U. S. Supreme Court justices who are considered conservative, it didn’t take long for the path to be opened toward the possible overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

The 1973 ruling by the court that made abortion legal is now the law of the land. Attempts by states to put restrictions on abortions since then have been mostly futile.

Now there is hope by pro-lifers that the court will be more willing to reverse the 1973 ruling. Prior to the two appointments, the court was divided with four conservative and four liberal justices and one swing vote by Justice Sandra Day O’Conner. With the appointment of Justice Sam Alito to replace O’Conner, the swing vote is expected to become more conservative.

South Dakota did not waste time passing a law banning abortion entirely, except in cases where the mother’s life is endangered. It was signed by the governor Monday and will take effect in July.

And more such laws are on the horizon. A law was passed in Mississippi last week banning abortion except in cases of rape, incest or where the mother’s life is threatened. Several other states are considering such bans, including Georgia, Tennessee and Ohio. Undoubtedly, Louisiana will also have one in the future.

Prior to the Roe vs. Wade decision, many states had bans on abortions, including Louisiana. In many cases, mothers who did not want their unborn children had to travel to states where abortion was legal to get rid of them.

Roe vs. Wade ruled it unconstitutional for states to ban abortions, claiming it interfered with a mother’s rights. The unborn child had no rights.

Some pro-lifers were planning to go slow in reversing the tide by allowing restrictions on abortions at first instead of banning them altogether. That would perhaps be more acceptable to the public.

But the fact is that most people in the country are against abortion in most cases. Allowing Roe vs. Wade to continue ruling the land would allow the death of many more unborn lives.

Civilization reaches its finest hour when it protects its most helpless people. Certainly, unborn babies, who are human beings, must be put into that category.

Roe vs. Wade turned the clock back many years in our efforts to create a humane society. Perhaps a more civilized public will reverse that trend in the future.