REALity March 2019
The Strange Situation of Abortion in the U.S.
The world of abortion in the United States has become very strange.
The Democratic Party, which has the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, supports unrestricted abortions. On February 28, 2019, it voted to block, for a tenth time, a bill to provide medical care for babies who survived an abortion.
The Democrat states of New York, Virginia, Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont recently introduced legislation to legitimize access to abortion up until birth (even on the delivery table.)
The left wing, secular media haven’t so much as flinched at these atrocities.
On the other hand, U.S. Republican President Donald Trump is using all the powers of his office to lay the ground work for a pro-life nation. He is unfailing in his determination that all nominations to the Courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States, be pro-life candidates. During his State of the Union address on February 5, 2019, Mr. Trump spoke out strongly against the pro-abortion legislation introduced in some U.S. states. He said:
Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia, where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth.
To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb.
Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children – born and unborn—are made in the holy image of God.
Mr. Trump also used the occasion, in his address on Feb 8, at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, to state unequivocally again that “all children, born and unborn, are made in the holy image of God.”
What is Going on in the U.S. in Regard to the Abortion Issue?
Abortion has long been a divisive issue in U.S. politics. It is being fought in the state legislatures and in the state and federal courts. Pro-life activists and legislators are trying to pass legislation that would make abortions difficult to get and weaken the legal guarantees afforded by the Roe vs Wade decision of the Supreme Court in 1973, which brought abortion on demand to the nation.
This push for abortion is surprising in view of recent polls. For example, at one time, more Americans were pro-abortion than pro-life, but a Gallup poll, conducted in May 2018, indicates that Americans are now evenly split, 48% now identify as pro-life and 48 % as pro-abortion. This means that, for the first time in years, attitudes in support of abortion have declined. This poll also found that although 43 % of Americans think abortion should be legal under all circumstances, the majority, 53%, say it should only be legal in a few circumstances
What is interesting is that, in a separate question on that survey, Americans were asked whether abortion, along with 20 other behaviours and practices, was morally acceptable or morally wrong. The result of this question was that 48 % of Americans believe abortion is wrong from a moral perspective, while 43% think otherwise.
Another national poll, conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, in January 2019, confirmed that an overwhelming majority of Americans support restrictions on abortions, and would like Roe vs Wade re-interpreted to allow more restrictions. Less than a third (30%) wanted the court to allow unrestricted abortion.
The reason for this renewed effort by the Democrats, to push abortion, is that they fear that a pro-life Supreme Court may soon strike down the 1973 decision of Roe vs Wade. The poor health of long time pro-abortion Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, who is 85 years of age, and who has had several bouts of cancer and other health problems, worries pro-abortion activists, who believe that it is only a matter of time before she will leave the court, and be replaced by a pro-life judge nominated by Mr. Trump. If Roe vs Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, this would allow U.S. states to vote on new abortion laws within their jurisdictions. Some states already have pre Roe vs Wade legislation in place, which prohibits abortion. Democrats also calculate that supporting legalized abortion will ensure that the abortion industry will generously fund their future election campaigns. Other states, however, such as Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Delaware, Missouri, New Jersey, Alabama and Arkansas, want to ensure that, should Roe vs Wade be overturned, unborn children will be protected by legislation. Consequently, the U.S. is now in the throes of a huge battle on the abortion issue.
Pro-abortionists thought that when Roe vs Wade became law, the abortion issue in the U.S. was settled forever. How little did they understand the pro-life movement and its determination to stop the killing of unborn children!