It is no longer a rumor. The majority of Justices determined the 1973 decision was not a constitutional right to have an abortion, under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. They “[Held]: The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; …and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”
Justice Ruth Bater Ginsburg, the pioneering advocate for women’s rights was a frequent critic of Roe v. Wade, especially its framing and the speed in which it was pushed through. She felt the decision was wrongly founded and would eventually be successfully challenged, handing it back to the states to codify.
Hippocrates, the Greek physician (460-370BC) wrote an oath which is the earliest expression of medical ethics, to which all physicians swore. Its core is, do no harm.
The section of the ancient oath pertaining to current controversies in New Mexico reads: “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion.”
The oath was adopted in the Common Western judicial system and much of the ancient text became legal statutes which carried criminal liability for violation.
The Common Law accepts the Creator as being the giver of life and forbids the taking of human life. Homicide laws have been enacted for such violation. Thus, euthanasia and abortion were written into Western law and forbidden in most places.
There are good people from many faiths on both sides of this issue. It would be hard to find someone today who has not been touched by the issue of abortion, either by a family member or close friend.
While most religions speak on the subject of “thou shall not kill,” many followers have been to war and justified killing for righteous reasons and survival. Having an abortion for other than medical reasons is often justified by reason of personal convenience or birth control.
In all instances and including euthanasia, these are accompanied by trauma and guilt which linger for a lifetime. Even among Christian denominations, hard lines are drawn and one must stand on one side or the other. We may call it a human divide, but it is really a divide between humans and God. The question becomes, what is justified?
I know many Christians who have chosen abortion over birth as well as good people of other faiths. I can speak as a Christian and say emphatically, it is God’s nature to forgive and reconcile with us, imperfect people. The caveat is, we must earnestly seek that forgiveness and reconciliation. The issue has been with us since the beginning of time. It is a human conundrum. The decision is complex, justified by some circumstances, but not beyond God’s healing power.
The hard hearted who need no God nor forgiveness will continue to justify and alibi to retain their right of self-determination.
Such will only lead to continuing personal and often smoldering anguish, ignorant of God’s gift of forgiveness and the celebration of the sanctity of life.
With the SCOTUS decision, nothing has really changed. Abortion is legal in many ‘states. Texas has passed a heartbeat law, but legislatures can not dictate a change of heart. Only understanding God’s love of all life can do that. Now is a time for healing.
Tom Wright is a writer from Santa Fe.