Submitted by Senator Roger Wicker
”With Roe v. Wade finally gone, our nation will return to the global mainstream on abortion,” Wicker writes.
Pro-life Americans are rejoicing this week after the historic reversal of Roe v. Wade, one of the darkest decisions in Supreme Court history. For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade imposed abortion-on-demand on the entire country and kept us from making even modest protections for unborn life. Roe’s downfall was long overdue and is an answered prayer. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito declared that there is no constitutional right to an abortion and that this issue properly belongs to the people and their elected representatives. With this monumental ruling, we are now free to enact laws that protect the most vulnerable members of our society.
This victory for life was the result of decades of work from all corners of our nation. It took the constant labors of crisis pregnancy centers, churches, civic groups, and elected officials, all of which helped move the needle toward this outcome. Mississippi should be especially proud of our role in this effort. Mississippi argued the case that led to Roe’s reversal in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and I was pleased to author a congressional amicus brief supporting Mississippi’s case. As pro-life advocates celebrate this ruling, we should recommit to building a culture of life where every child is welcomed and every mother is abundantly supported.
Lawmakers Can Now Protect the Unborn
With Roe v. Wade finally gone, our nation will return to the global mainstream on abortion. For half a century, America was one of seven nations with the most extreme abortion-on-demand policies, alongside China and North Korea. European nations like France, Germany, and Norway – hardly bastions of conservatism – have had stricter abortion policies than we had under Roe v. Wade. Indeed, two-thirds of Americans support a second-trimester abortion ban, which was not allowed under Roe. The Court’s new decision allows us to turn public consensus into durable protections for the unborn.
Americans have grown consistently more pro-life as the science has changed. Since 1995, the share of Americans identifying as pro-life has increased from 33 to 47 percent. During that time, parents have used sonograms to look at their unborn children’s hands and feet and see themselves in the faces of their offspring. We now know that the fetal heartbeat begins at six weeks, and an unborn child can feel pain at 20 weeks. Science undeniably points to the humanity of the unborn child. It is no wonder that more and more states have moved to restrict abortion.
As a U.S. Senator, I will continue supporting efforts to protect unborn life at the federal level. I will also continue advocating for conscience protections for doctors and medical staff who do not wish to participate in abortion. In addition, Republicans will continue fighting to preserve the Hyde Amendment so that taxpayer dollars are not spent on abortion.
Toward a More Perfect Union
Since Roe v. Wade was handed down, more than 63 million unborn lives have violently ended through abortion. The Dobbs ruling allows us to turn the page on this tragic era. The fight for the unborn is the leading human rights issue of our time. Just as the civil rights movement brought us into closer alignment with the truth that all men are created equal, the pro-life movement is slowly but surely making our nation a more perfect union.
###
Submitted by Senator Roger Wicker
Guest Editorial
