What happens if Roe is overturned?

May 8, 2022

There is a lot of confusion about what is going on with Roe v. Wade and the Supreme Court right now so here is a brief update. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know! We’d love to speak with you.

Did the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade?

Not yet, but they could do so soon. Politico released an early draft of the decision on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case. This draft opinion indicates there is a high likelihood that Roe will be overturned, but a final decision won’t be released until June. Please join us in praying for the justices on the Supreme Court that they would be given wisdom to decide rightly and to restore justice in our country.

If the Supreme Court does overturn Roe, what does that mean for abortion in Alabama?

We won’t know for certain what the final court decision will say so we can’t say for certain how things will play out if they do vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. One thing is clear, though. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion will not be completely banned in Alabama.

AL.com recently published an article with the headline: “Most Alabama abortions would be banned if Roe v. Wade is overturned: What to know”

Sorry for being the negative nancy in the room, but banning “most” abortions is not good enough. Would we be ok with banning most shooting murders? What about most stabbing murders? Of course not! Murder is wrong all the time!

Alabama law even says that abortion is murder but goes on to say that nobody can be prosecuted for murder if it is an abortion (§13A-6-1).

In a different part of the Code, Alabama law says that it is illegal to perform an abortion unless a doctor determines that killing the child will prevent a “serious health risk” to the mother. Under no circumstances should a doctor kill one patient to save another. Doctors should always do everything in their power to save both patients.

This is wrong! Our state must provide equal protection of the law and protect preborn children all the time!

Unfortunately, several Alabama lawmakers are already talking about how we don’t need to protect preborn children in every instance. Some are even talking about walking back the Human Life Protection Act to allow for more instances where children can be killed.

1819 News recently published:

Collins says that the 2019 law was simply aimed at overturning Roe and believes more exceptions should be available in Alabama.

“There would be people who want to keep a law that restrictive and that’s why you would have to take any legislation through that legislation process [again],” Collins said. “But, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, then the goal of [the Alabama Human Life Protection Act] would have already happened, so I would think Alabama would want to set up legislation that fits more how Alabamians look at it. And I think that would be that heartbeat bill.”

If Roe is overturned, Collins hopes to pass a bill similar to the one she introduced in previous years, which would wait to prohibit abortions until a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks into pregnancy. She also wants exceptions for rape and incest.

“I think those were important,” Collins said. “It even included a fetal anomaly in the child. I mean, it was the bill I felt like was best for our state, so we’ll just have to see what happens over the next few months as we follow this.”

Collins’ view does not align with what the Constitution requires (equal protection of the law), and it certainly does not align with the Scriptures.

What is Equal Protection?

The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

That last line simply means that a state must apply its laws equally to all people. There can’t be laws that protect white people but not black people. There can’t be laws that protect men but not women. And there can’t be laws that protect born people but not preborn people.

If babies are human from the moment of conception (they are), the Constitution says they must be protected by our laws the same way a newborn and a grown adult are protected.

In practice, that means that intentionally terminating the life of any person, including a preborn child, is murder and should be treated as such under our laws. Abortion should not be regulated. It should be banned without exception and without compromise!

What does the Bible have to say about this?

The Bible tells us that God establishes all governing authorities to punish the wicked. God commands these authorities to judge justly, neither showing partiality to the wicked, nor using unequal standards, which are abominations, and not wielding the sword of justice in vain (Psa 82; Prov 20:10; Rom 13:4; James 2).

Said differently, God commands that governing authorities treat all people the same. In Deuteronomy, God appointed leaders in Israel and commanded them: “You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’”

Later in the same book, God says: “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

As the perfect judge, God values justice, and to promote justice, God appoints rulers.

When the governing authority shows partiality by valuing born life over preborn life and fails to do justice by not punishing evil, they are sinning against God.

This also applies when our elected officials value some preborn children over others by creating exceptions for when someone can kill their preborn child.

We must call on our elected officials to repent and to establish justice for preborn children by outlawing abortion in all cases.

What about the abortionists and abortive mothers?

Abortion is murder, and murder is sin. The Bible is very clear about this.

The Bible is also very clear that everyone is a sinner. No man or woman on Earth can live up to God’s holy standard of righteousness. And because God is a just God, He will not let sin go unpunished. As a result, the sinner deserves death – eternal separation from God.

But there is hope. Because of His love for us, God sent his perfect Son Jesus, who never sinned, to die in our place. Jesus endured unimaginable suffering and died on a cross, paying the penalty for our actions and satisfying God’s justice in our place. Three days later, Jesus defeated death and rose again.

If you have faith and believe in Jesus, you will be saved. Christ has paid our debt on the cross. Believe in Him, and you will not perish.

The incredible truth is that no matter what sins and injustices happen on this Earth, our God has mercy on us. Repent of your sins, whatever they are, with us. If you have participated in an abortion in any way, repent of your sin with us and turn to Christ. If you have been apathetic and turned a blind eye to the sins of our nation, repent of your sin with us and turn to Christ.

Romans 3:31-26

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Final Thoughts

Even is Roe v. Wade is overturned in a few months, the fight for justice in Alabama is not over. We must continue praying for justice and calling on our elected officials to establish equal protection of the law for preborn children by abolishing abortion in Alabama without delay and without compromise. This will be an uphill fight, but we can do it if we work together.

To help us continue our work, please consider making a donation to End Abortion Alabama today.

Finally, please share this message far and wide. We need to be prepared to abolish abortion when the time comes.