Sebastian's Point


Looking Toward the Pro-Life Future: A Reflection on the 47th Anniversary of Roe v Wade

Jennifer Christie  |  23 January 2020

I stand as a survivor, a mother, a wife
pro woman
pro baby
pro science
pro life


I'm not a gardener but I do love a greenhouse, touching the velvet leaves of plants with names that trip my tongue, inhaling the fragrance of blossoms in a kaleidoscope of colors.
Tulips are my favorite.
People buy bulbs knowing that they are tulips. No one questions this.
Like the rosebud pre bloom in its delicate beauty is no less a flower than the long stemmed Valentines declarations of adoration.
We accept that so readily and yet aren't nearly as moved by humanity as botany
We tend what is undeniably flora but human lives we litter


We're smaller than a peppercorn,
lighter than a kiss,
when our hearts begin to beat
And the whorls of fingerprints that have never existed before and never will again at 8 weeks are engraved
A road unpaved
And what's saved
From the dreams we dream at 4 months preborn
What good are human rights
When the human part is scorned?
What we don't want to see
60 million lives snuffed out since 1973


Legality over morality but do we really have more?
What's money, wardrobe, a Golden Globe
when our children are no more?


I stand here a survivor, a mother, a wife
pro wholeness
pro wellness
pro family


We've papered over crimson stains with colorful bumper stickers carrying catchy phrases
"No uterus no opinion"
"My body, my choice"
but absence of dominion to those with no voice
they need mine
they need yours
whispers or roars
Even if it stutters
Even if it shakes
Maybe courage is as courage does.
A breath is all it takes


So I
as a survivor, a mother, a wife
pro God
pro ethics
pro compassion
pro life


For that reason I will spend my talents
I will give what's been given and search for what's lost
And I will shine
this little light of mine that another's might glow
we don't know
but we can do better than yesterday


Defend life and speak truth
To the madding crowd,
Stand, be unafraid, and love


And then
Begin again
More sure, steadfast and prouder
All of the above
And above all - love


47 years ago, the United States officially withdrew from the Vietnam conflict. 47 years ago, the Sears tower was completed. 47 years ago, The Exorcist was terrifying theatergoers, Gerald Ford replaced Spiro Agnew as Vice president, and the first cell phone call was made. And 47 years ago, Roe v Wade and the companion case of Doe V Bolton declared abortion as a constitutional right and overturned most laws against abortion in the country.


As a result, 60 million children have been killed, before they ever took their first breath. The sheer number is so horrifying and so surreal that it's easy to become discouraged. It's easy to feel impotent in the face of such atrocity. The headlines in 1973 declared "Court settles abortion issue." They underestimated us. The term "pro-life" came about as a response to the landmark Supreme Court decisions, and as a movement we are more active and vocal than ever before. But to what end? What has really been accomplished?


I'm glad you asked. Let's talk CPCs. Crisis Pregnancy centers across the country outnumber abortion clinics by a ratio of more than 3 to 1. More than providing free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and counseling, many also offer parenting classes where credits can be earned for diapers, infant clothes, car seats and other necessities. Others help mothers to be with home and job placement after birth. Good luck getting that at Planned Parenthood. Hundreds of abortion clinics have been shut down. This is no small feat. Whether you credit the pro-life laws enacted on federal, state and local levels (such as partial birth abortion bans) or the presence of sidewalk advocates and prayer warriors, lives have been saved. Healing after abortion.


Society is recognizing the psychological and emotional impact of abortion and responding in kind. Organizations now exist to help post-abortive women. Pro-lifers live out the phrase "Love them both." Through technological advances, it has become harder to deny that human life truly begins at conception. Abortion minded women who are shown ultrasounds before their appointments overwhelmingly decide against termination. By continuing the fight for life, abortion remains a prevalent topic. As long as this is the case, we have the opportunity to change hearts and minds. And we have. And we do. And we will.



Jennifer Christie, co-founder Love Louder & 2020 Fellow for the Society of St. Sebastian