On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States rendered its decision on Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It overturned Roe v. Wade after almost 50 years. We encourage you to read the decision itself.
NOTES:
Here is some further reading.
- The Dodds decision itself.
- The U.S. Constitution
- The Advisory Opinions podcast on Dodds Supreme Court Overturns Roe and Casey
- The Ben Sasse Civics Lesson at Kavanaugh confirmation
Here are some things our lawmakers said about the Dobbs decision:
Jeff Merkley:
Today, a majority of unelected justices acted as a self-appointed super-legislature to take away a right Americans have been guaranteed for over 50 years—one that large majorities of our people want to preserve.
Sen. Jeff Merkley said in a statement. “Yet, that is exactly the impact of this Supreme Court opinion for millions and millions of Americans, who suddenly find an overbearing government dictating their path. This assault on Americans’ rights and freedom is shocking.”
Elizabeth Warren:
“Six radical Supreme Court Justices have overturned nearly 50 years of precedent, stripping away the constitutional right to an abortion. After decades of scheming, Republican politicians have finally forced their unpopular agenda on the rest of America. They have decided that the government – not the person who is pregnant – should make a private health care decision and deny women the right to control their own bodies and futures. But these extremists will not have the final word. Democrats have tools to fight back, from legislation in Congress to executive orders from the President to initiatives at the state and local level – we just need to use them. We are angry – angry and determined. We will not go back. Not now. Not ever.”
Governor Newsome:
“The Supreme Court has made it clear – they want to strip women of their liberty and let Republican states replace it with mandated birth because the right to choose an abortion is not ‘deeply rooted in history’.
President Biden:
“Congress must restore the protection of Roe v. Wade as federal law…No presidential executive action can do that…Roe is on the ballot.”
“With this decision, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court shows how extreme it is, how far removed they are from the majority of this country.”
RECAP & TAKEAWAYS:
Civics allows us to avoid the polarized rhetoric you read above. It recognizes that the Supreme Court gave the decision back to the people. The Dobbs decision points out that Roe actually dispensed with the legislative process and imposed a law on the entire nation. The other thing that happened is that decisions about abortion limits will be delegated to the states.
President Biden is right. Roe will be on the ballot. What can Christians do?
- Pray. Always we can pray.
- Vote. Pro-life candidates at state and local levels will be writing laws about abortion limits. Aeric mentioned some potential legislation to keep your eye on, too.
- Care. Christians have cared for women and children for the entire history of the church. But, our culture needs to see Christians do it in significant ways now that Roe is gone.
- Civics. Think about engaging people in conversations about the Dobbs decision through a civics lens rather than an ideological lens. There are topics about which you may never agree. Yet, the system we have is as good as there is to work for everyone.
GET IN TOUCH:
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MUSIC:
Little Lily Swing, Tri-Tachyon, Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International, https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/the-kleptotonic-ep/little-lily-swing
Sorry, Comfort Fit, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Germany (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 DE), https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Comfort_Fit/Forget_And_Remember/03_Sorry