ROWE V. WADE, POLITICAL OR BIBLICAL
Facts of the case
In 1970, Jane Roe (a fictional name used in court documents to protect the plaintiff’s identity) filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas, where she resided, challenging a Texas law making abortion illegal except by a doctor’s orders to save a woman’s life. In her lawsuit, Roe alleged that the state laws were unconstitutionally vague and abridged her right to personal privacy, protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments.
OVERTURNING ROWE V WADE
The draft opinion about overturning Roe would not ban abortion nationwide but instead allow states to drastically restrict or even ban abortion, which advocates for reproductive rights say could have seismic consequences for the country.
Here\’s what a future without Roe v. Wade could mean:
- More than 20 states have laws that could restrict or ban abortion soon after the Supreme Court overturns Roe, according to Guttmacher. One type of statute called a \”trigger law\” is designed to take effect after a Supreme Court ruling. Some states also still have pre-Roe abortion bans on the books that haven\’t been enforced. Other laws express the intent of states to crack down on abortion if permitted by the Supreme Court.
In a time when the truth is not valued, why did Rowe v. Wade come up
For review. It has been a law for 49 years. Why are states trying to
Overturn women’s rights?
According to an article By Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey, Caroline Kitchener, and Rachel Roubein the push to overturn Rowe v Wade
Got a stimulus from our previous president
As incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, came in and out of the room, Leonard Leo, the head of the conservative Federalist Society
,
laid out a road map for Trump on the federal court system, potentially transforming the foundational understanding of rights in America.
It was a moment antiabortion activists had been working toward for decades: The highest reaches of Republican power finally focused, in unison, on achieving the once implausible goal of revisiting the jurisprudence of the 1960s and 1970s, including Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
The US Supreme court is prepared to reverse the Rowe V Wade ruling of
50 years. Are they right?
THE PROTEST
We will hear and see protests on both sides. Women want the right to
Choose to abort a pregnancy. There are pro-life groups that are against
That right. Who is right?
I am not agreeing with the argument on either side.
The only thing I will agree with is the Word of God
I do think we need to know what arguments are for our own information.
There are a lot of issues to consider that law to end all abortion does not
Consider.
What about a pregnancy that results from rape
What about a pregnancy that result from broken promise
What about a pregnancy that the doctor has to make a decision
Between life of the mother verses the life of the embryo
What about the embryo that is so deformed that it cannot live
A normal life
What about the woman that has absolutely no desire to be a mother.
Women\’s rights arguments in favor of abortion (according to the BBC)
Here are some of the women\’s rights arguments in favor of abortion:
- women have a moral right to decide what to do with their bodies
- the right to abortion is vital for gender equality
- the right to abortion is vital for individual women to achieve their full potential
- banning abortion puts women at risk by forcing them to use illegal abortionists
- the right to abortion should be part of a portfolio of pregnancy rights that enables women to make a truly free choice whether to end a pregnancy
Those in favor of abortion express the thought that a woman is a person and not just as a container for the fetus. Therefore they want you to consider her rights and needs as well as those of the unborn.
Women\’s rights arguments against abortion (According to the BBC)
Not all who support women\’s rights support abortion, and many of them are active in trying to promote practical solutions to the causes that drive women to abortion.
Some join other pro-life advocates and say that the right to life should always outweigh the right of an individual to equality or to control their own body.
But others raise arguments that are specifically related to women\’s rights:
Abortion does not free women
Some argue that abortion does not liberate women, but allows society not to cater to women\’s needs.
They say that what women need for equality is not free access to abortion but to be given what they need to survive financially and socially as mothers:
- inexpensive, readily available childcare
- a workplace or school that acknowledges the needs of mothers,
- e.g. providing flexible scheduling and maternity leave,
- state support that helps to reintegrate a woman into the workforce
They say that if women couldn\’t have abortions so easily, governments would have to invest more money in supporting mothers.
Abortion sidesteps the oppression of women
Others oppose abortion because it provides a way of side-stepping other real issues that should be addressed. One writer put it like this:
There are women who are raped and become pregnant; the problem is that they were raped, not that they are pregnant.
There are women who are starving who become pregnant; the problem is that they are starving, not that they are pregnant.
There are women in abusive relationships who become pregnant; the problem is that they are in abusive relationships, not that they are pregnant.
Megan Clancy
Abortion damages women
Some people oppose abortion because it can damage the long-term physical and emotional health of women who have an abortion.
Abortion violates feminist principles
Some feminists oppose all forms of violence, including abortion, because they are inconsistent with the core feminist principles of justice, non-violence, and non-discrimination.
We believe in a woman\’s right to control her body, and she deserves this right no matter where she lives, even if she\’s still living inside her mother\’s womb.
Feminists for Life
Notice that the argument for or against abortion does not make it clear that the Word of God is At the forefront.
How do you view the right to have an abortion?
How would you explain your view to your daughter, a neighbor or
Co-worker?
What scripture would you use to justify your conclusion?
Thy shall not kill is one of the Ten Commandments. How do you
Consider abortion given God’s Word.
To kill something, it has to be alive. When does life begin?
MEDICAL FACTS
According to MD Anderson:
A fetal may first be detected by a vaginal ultrasound as early as 5 1/2 to 6 weeks after gestation. That’s when a fetal pole, the first visible sign of a developing embryo, can sometimes be seen.
But between 6 1/2 to 7 weeks after gestation, a heartbeat can be better assessed. That’s when your doctor may schedule your first abdominal or vaginal ultrasound to check for signs of a healthy, developing pregnancy.
When does a fetus\’s heart start pumping blood?
At the end of the 4th week of gestation, the heartbeats of the embryo begin. The heart, whose development starts at the 3rd week of gestation, has rapid and irregular contractions capable of pumping the blood inside the vessels.
Does the life of a baby begin at conception?
What do the experts say?
\”The American College of Pediatricians concurs with the body of scientific evidence that human life begins at conception – fertilization…. Scientific and medical discoveries over the past three decades have only verified and solidified this age-old truth. After the process of fertilization, the human creature emerges as a whole, genetically distinct, individuated zygotic living human organism, a member of the species homo sapiens, needing only the proper environment to grow and develop. The difference between the individual in its adult stage and its zygotic stage is not one of personhood but of development. The Mission of the American College of Pediatricians is to enable all children to reach their optimal physical and emotional health and well-being from the moment of conception.\”
The question is what do you believe and what will you teach?
I do not want to influence you. Your conclusions should be based on your
Interpretation of the Word of God.
THE BEGINNING OF HUMAN LIFE ACCORDING TO THE WORD
How does God present the beginning of human life?
Genesis 2:7
the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
When Adam first breathed he became alive.
However, Adam was created as a grown man.
Eve was created as a grown woman. Adam and Eve
Did not start life as babies.
The first babies were Cain and Able.
When did their lives begin? According to the Bible their
Lives began in the womb of Eve.
Job 33:4
The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Jeremiah 1:5
5 \”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.\”
Psalms 139:13
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother\’s womb.
I think we can all agree that life began in the womb.
At what point does life begin in the womb?
What do the experts say?
\”The American College of Pediatricians concurs with the body of scientific evidence that human life begins at conception – fertilization…. Scientific and medical discoveries over the past three decades have only verified and solidified this age-old truth. After the process of fertilization, the human creature emerges as a whole, genetically distinct, individuated zygotic living human organism, a member of the species homo sapiens, needing only the proper environment to grow and develop. The difference between the individual in its adult stage and in its zygotic stage is not one of personhood but of development. The Mission of the American College of Pediatricians is to enable all children to reach their optimal physical and emotional health and well-being from the moment of conception.\”
Let\’s Go!
And so you began! Fertilization begins with the spermatozoon contacting the cells surrounding the oocyte and ends with the mixing of the 23 male and 23 female chromosomes. The result is a single-cell embryo called a zygote, meaning \”yoked or joined together,\” and it is the first cell of the human body. It\’s the beginning of a new individual, never-to-be-repeated, and completely unique you!
Life – when does it begin?
Human Life comes into existence in just a fraction of an instant. You have a human egg and a human sperm and their sole purpose in life is to meet each other and fuse, to create a one cell human being.
Within this single cell there is an elaborate and complete plan for development.
In the case of the birth of Jesus, the Word says this
Luke 1:35-36
The angel answered, \”The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
NIV
Matthew 1:18-19
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
The formation of Jesus in the womb of Mary was not a natural conception
But it does point out that life began in the womb.
When was the first sign that Jesus had been conceived in the womb of Mary?
After meeting with the angel, Mary immediately went to be with Elizabeth
The journey from Nazareth to Hebron is about 130 kilometers (81 mi) in a direct line, probably up to half as far again by road, depending on the route taken. Elizabeth was in the sixth month before Mary came (Luke 1:36). Mary stayed three months, and most scholars hold she stayed for the birth of John.
God does not tell us how Mary got to Elizabeth or how many days it took to
Get to her cousin.
If we assume 12 miles per day, it would have taken 6 to 7 days.
Ein Karem is on the outskirts of Jerusalem and is about 2,474 feet above sea level, while Nazareth is at 1,138 feet. This means Mary had to trek uphill nearly 1,336 feet in elevation!
The trip could have taken more than 10 days.
My point is when Mary met Elizabeth the baby
Jumped recognizing the presence of Jesus
Luke 1:39-41
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah\’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary\’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
The point is that the baby Jesus was alive and well in Mary’s womb 10 days
after conception.
The US Supreme court is prepared to reverse the Rowe V Wade ruling of
50 years. Are they right?
We hear and see protests on both sides. Women want the right to
Choose to abort a pregnancy. There are pro-life groups that are against
That right. Who is right?
What is your conclusion? What will you teach your children, grandchildren
And others around you?
Will you base your conclusion on women’s rights or the Word of God?
It is one thing to sit on the sidelines and judge the choice of another person.
It is another thing to make that choice when it relates to you or your
Family member.
Making choices based on the Word of God will not always be easy.
Rev. M. Mitchell
