Now that Justice Alito has been confirmed to the Supreme
Court, there's a real possibility that Roe v. Wade may be
overturned. But I'm not that obsessed with overturning Roe v.
Wade or with passing a constitutional amendment banning abortion.
What I believe is most important is that women get the truth and
nothing but. And the truth about abortion is finally beginning to
be heard across the country.
I was unable to attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C.,
last week, but my pastor at Immaculate Conception on Staten
Island, Father Peter Byrne, told me the annual rally was
different this year from previous events. Instead of appearing on
a platform on the Great Mall, speakers this time were heard from
the steps of the Capitol. In addition, the majority of marchers
were young - students from colleges and high schools - and
despite the rainy weather, their enthusiasm was contagious and
the smell of victory was in the air. And all this happened a week
before the Democrats' attempt to filibuster Mr. Alito's
nomination was decisively defeated on the Senate floor.
It was somewhat ironic to hear Senate Democrats demanding strict
constitutional responses from the nominee on the issue of
abortion. Senator Schumer asked him if the Constitution protected
freedom of speech. After Mr. Alito responded in the affirmative,
Senator Schumer then asked, "Then why can't you answer the
question: Does the Constitution protect the right to an abortion
in the same way?"
Mr. Alito responded that freedom of speech is explicitly
protected in the language of the Constitution. But the right to
an abortion depends on the interpretation of certain provisions
in the Constitution. Senator Schumer obviously did not care for
this response, but it was correct.
If held to strict constitutional standards, which is what the
Democrats insist they want, then Roe v. Wade is definitely in
jeopardy. In 1973, an activist Supreme Court decided that the
14th Amendment protected a right to privacy. Here's the section
of this amendment at issue: 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.
It seems to me that if the Court could twist these words to mean
the right to privacy between a woman and her doctor, then they
mean we have the right to do anything we want in private. This is
patently absurd. Since 1973, this ruling has led to the death of
around 46 million unborn Americans, according to the Alan
Guttmacher Institute. Is it any wonder why Social Security is
threatened by a diminished future workforce?
But beyond the Supreme Court, there are signs that the tide is
turning toward opponents of abortion around the country. If Roe
is overturned, then the abortion issue goes back to the states,
where tough new anti-abortion laws are already being drafted.
Legislators in Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, South Dakota, and
Tennessee are proposing an outright ban on all abortions, except
when the woman's life is in danger. Ultimately, the blue states
will still permit abortion, and New York will remain the abortion
capital of the nation.
Unfortunately, as a political issue, abortion has been rife with
lies since 1973, when Bernard Nathanson, one of the co-founders
of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League,
and others deliberately falsified the number of women dying from
abortions. Nathanson, who now opposes abortion, admits that
NARAL's number of 5,000-10,000 deaths annually from illegal
abortions before Roe was completely invented. But according to
the federal government's Centers for Disease Control, the actual
number of abortion deaths in 1972, before Roe was decided, was 65
- and 24 of those resulted from legal abortions. Lies, all lies.
Norma Mc-Corvey, also known as "Jane Roe," was not
pregnant as a result of rape, as her original lawsuit claimed. In
fact, she never had an abortion. She now describes herself as
"100% pro-life."
In July, Indiana passed an informed consent law requiring
abortion providers to tell pregnant women about the availability
of fetal ultrasound imaging and auscultation of fetal heart
sounds. If requested, these services must be provided before a
woman terminates her pregnancy. In most cases, a woman who sees
and hears their unborn child decides either to keep their child
or put it up for adoption. This groundbreaking legislation is
being proposed in other states as well, and the goal of making
abortion rare is now a real possibility. All those young people
in Washington, D.C., are the children of pro-lifers. They are the
new generation that recognizes the truth about an issue that
still deceives many adults.