GUEST EDITORIAL

Dobbs case presents providential opportunity to combat Roe v. Wade

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It has been a labored few months for the pro-life community. The new administration has done everything they can to increase funding and access to abortion here in the United States and globally. However, there is a glimmer of hope, a once-in-a-generation opportunity before us.
On December 1, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which is an appeal from the state of Mississippi to keep its current ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. According to Catholic New Service, supporters of the law are urging the court to reexamine its previous abortion rulings, including the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which legalized abortion in 1973. If the court eventually overturns Roe, the move would not make abortion illegal throughout the U.S., but would return the issue to the states to be decided.
The Dobbs v. Jackson case in Mississippi focuses more attention on the unborn baby and fetal viability than previous cases have, as at 15 weeks, a baby has already developed eyelids, eyelashes, distinct fingers and toes. And thanks to 4D ultrasound technology, little ones can be seen yawning, stretching and even sucking their thumb at this age in the womb. As such, a Supreme Court decision in favor of the appeal would establish the ban on abortion in Mississippi at a point much earlier than the current viability standard of as early as 24 weeks established by Roe v. Wade.
This is a time of great hope and promise for the pro-life community, but is also a time of great peril and danger. Those who are pro-choice believe that killing an unborn child is more of a human right than a choice. They seek to make us all complicit by making taxpayers pay for abortions and also by stripping away conscience rights from doctors and nurses opposed to abortion by getting rid of the Hyde Amendment.
Now is the time to speak up, speak the truth and use this case to teach the truth of the dignity and sanctity of the unborn person. It is a time to show and teach the science behind the humanity of the baby in the womb. We can speak of the Visitation, when Mary went to visit Elizabeth and the baby leapt in her womb with joy, because prenatal Jesus is the Lord. As Jesus was a baby in the womb, so is everyone. We all need to come together in prayer and fasting for the end of this multigenerational termination of the lives of the 63 million babies lost to abortion, and untold numbers of men and women wounded. Be open to how God can use you and be sure to thank God for this opportunity placed before us. There are a couple of opportunities to unite this November.
On Saturday, Nov. 13, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul Church, One St. Paul Place in Cranston, the Diocese of Providence’s Office of Life and Family, along with Rhode Island Right to Life, the Mother of Life Center and the Knights of Columbus hosted a Mass of Thanksgiving for the closing of the former Broadway abortion clinic and for the favorable disposition of the Dobbs case. Then on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. (EST), all faiths were invited to come together to pray and fast for the end to this grave evil of abortion. We prayed for the success of the oral arguments in the Dobbs case, the Supreme Court justices in their decision-making process and the decision that will be handed down in June 2022. Visit www.prayfordobbs.com to register and attend this historic national event.
We also need to pray for the women who choose life. Surround them with love and support those who experience a difficult pregnancy by praying for solutions for them when they choose to keep their baby. We need biblical and practical solutions to these problems. Spread the word far and wide and encourage everyone to join for a God-honoring outcome. We are pro-life because Jesus was pro-life.

Lisa Cooley is the coordinator of the Diocese of Providence’s Office of Life and Family.