Life, Liberty, and Law: Twilight of Roe
The overturning of Roe v. Wade continues to send shockwaves through not only the United States of America, but also our allies internationally. For the first time, many are discovering that the overturning of Roe and the ending of our extreme abortion jurisprudence actually doesn’t change that much on the ground in states that will continue to be pro-abortion, and that in states that are embracing pro-life law and policy, most American pro-life law mirrors European-style protections—for instance, Mississippi’s law which the U.S. Supreme Court just upheld protects life at 15 weeks of a preborn child’s life. This means that Mississippi’s abortion laws are, actually, more liberal than the abortion laws on the books in nations like Italy, France, or most other European allies.
If Roe’s reversal means that even pro-life states will generally mimic European-style laws, where killing is still permissible throughout the first months of a child’s life, does this represent a true pro-life victory? No. There’s more to be done—Americans United for Life will continue to call upon the Executive, Legisltive, and Judicial branches to clarify that abortion is fundamentally incompatible with constitutional justice. We will continue to call upon the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify that natural human rights precede the letter of any constitution, and that our first and most fundamental of all human rights—the human right to life—means that unborn children are entitled to the equal protection of the laws.
Today we feature an important conversation hosted by our friends at Live Action on June 24th, 2022, the day of the release of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision and its reversal of Roe v. Wade. Catherine Glenn Foster, President & CEO of Americans United for Life speaks on what true constitutional justice looks like, and how the pro-life movement can cast a vision of a truly brighter future for all. Catherine is joined by Josh Craddock, Affiliated Scholar at the James Wilson Institute and Noah Brandt, Director of Government Affairs at Live Action.