A Gospel Response to the Overturn of Roe v. Wade
Yesterday the U.S. Supreme court overturned our country's landmark ruling on the constitutionality of abortion. Of course that case is famously known as Roe v. Wade. That is, Jane Roe versus district attorney Henry Wade. Jane Roe was a pseudonym given to a woman named Norma McCorvey who sought an abortion in the state of Texas in the early 1970s. When she was unable to do so, she filed suit and the court ruled in her favor, setting into law one of the most divisive civil liberties in American history.
Today many are grieved. The overturning of the 1973 case, limiting options for women of various backgrounds and situations, causes alarm in many of our fellow citizens and sisters and brothers in Christ. And so today we are sorrowful.
Many others are elated. The desire for Roe to be reversed, and countless unborn childrens’ lives to be preserved, has animated many within and outside the Church for fifty years. And so today we celebrate.
God's Word alone invites us into a space where we hold both celebration and sorrow without contradiction. In Romans, Paul instructs his readers to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). We are to be known as people who embrace nuance and complexity in a fallen world. But not just through empathy. The Scriptures teach us that all human life is sacred because our composition reflects our Creator. Genesis tells us that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). That means the unborn bear the image of God. That means women bear the image of God.
What we are told by the prevailing political and cultural climate is that we must choose. We protect the unborn. Or we value women. But the gospel disallows us from making such a false choice. God loves women––those who've never been pregnant, those who've had abortions, those who are thinking about having abortions, and those who have children––and so do we. God loves children––from the instant of conception to kindergarten graduation to their first job to their last breath and beyond––and so do we. God's cosmic affection for people overwhelmed the writer of Psalm 8 … "what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? ... [you] crowned him with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:4-5). Along with the Father's glory, this was the very reason Jesus Christ died––the preciousness of human life.
And so, our celebration is not without sorrow and our fear is not without hope.
Our celebration ought to lead us to advocate for children well beyond their conception and birth. If we truly find joy and believe that the image of God was safeguarded yesterday, then our joy should actuate us to improve things like the food and educational disparities in our city, we should adopt children, and combat the violence that threaten children's daily existence. Our sorrow ought to lead us to the cross where we find our ultimate stability and protection. Not only so, but our grief should move us to consider the ways our society is built in favor of men and overlooks and objectifies women––things like paid leave, childcare, wage imbalances, and more. To be sure Jesus' power is not limited to the state. But as image bearers we've been commissioned to cultivate and exercise just dominion of his world. Our foundation did not change yesterday, but I hope our mission became just a little bit clearer.
Norma was never really sure whether to celebrate or be grieved by her verdict. All the way up until her death in 2017 she bounced between pro-choice and pro-life advocacy. She was a follower of Jesus, yet riddled with confusion and uncertainty. She was a human being. Perhaps the complexity of her story should caution us from oversimplifying our posture today. Until every life and all of life are treated with the sacred dignity of the Imago Dei, we will be rejoicing and weeping.
