We praise God for His faithfulness in delivering the news for which we have all been waiting and praying! Moments ago, the Supreme Court of the United States released its monumental decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

DOBBS IS A BROAD SWEEPING REVERSAL OF ROE AND CASEY AND THE GREATEST PRO-LIFE VICTORY IN 50 YEARS

Dobbs is a broad sweeping reversal of Roe v. Wade, the High Court’s landmark 1973 decision creating a constitutional right to abortion, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, their landmark 1992 decision affirming a constitutional right to abortion.

The Dobbs decision represents an historical moment in our nation— the greatest pro-life victory since Roe was decided nearly half a century ago. Dobbs addresses the constitutionality of Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act prohibiting abortion at 15 weeks. But the 6-3 decision authored by Justice Samuel Alito goes dramatically further.

The official majority Dobbs opinion appears to mirror Justice Alito’s draft majority opinion leaked last month. As expected, Justice Alito was joined by Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. Chief Justice John Roberts filed an opinion concurring in the judgment making Dobbs a 6-3 decision. Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.

DOBBS DOES NOT END ABORTION; DOBBS RETURNS ABORTION REGULATION TO THE STATES

The Dobbs decision does not eliminate all abortion in the United States. Rather, Dobbs reverses Supreme Court precedent of a nationwide constitutional right to abortion. The Court returns authority to legislate for or against abortion to the states.

Explaining the grounds for reversal, the Court states: “Stare decisis, the doctrine on which Casey’s controlling opinion was based, does not compel unending adherence to Roe’s abuse of judicial authority. Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”

Acknowledging that Roe took away each state’s right to determine how to regulate abortion, Justice Samuel Alito declares in the final holding, “We therefore hold that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. Roe and Casey must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

In his concurring opinion, Chief Justice Roberts asserts: “The Court rightly rejects the arbitrary viability rule today,” but he would “leave for another day whether to reject any right to an abortion at all.”

(Read the Dobbs Opinion HERE)

RESPONSE FROM THE STATES TO A POST-ROE WORLD

States across the nation vary in how they will treat the unborn in the wake of the overturn of Roe. As before the Supreme Court’s Roe ruling, states will now again have the power to determine abortion law within their own borders:

• Consequently, state abortion laws across our nation can be on opposite ends of the spectrum with some allowing an unborn baby to be aborted up to the moment of birth and some protecting the life of an unborn child from the moment of conception in almost all circumstances. A recent article in The New York Times states “more than 20 states — home to roughly half the country’s population — are likely to outlaw nearly all abortions.” (See NYT article HERE) Other states will fall somewhere in the middle or along the continuum of the extremes.
• Thirteen states, including our Great State of Texas, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming, have passed pro-life “Trigger Laws” that will go into effect automatically or by swift state action now that Roe has been reversed.

LIFE-AFFIRMING RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES IN NEED

The needs of mothers, fathers and families will surge. Help is available from life-affirming agencies in our community, state and nation that provide free, confidential and compassionate care and vital resources.

In Texas alone, there are more than 320 life-affirming agencies providing support to women and families facing an unplanned pregnancy with over 60 located in North Texas. These heroic agencies provide pre-natal care, sonograms, job training, education, parenting skills, family mentoring and essential baby supplies.

For a list of life-affirming agencies in our community go to councilforlife.org/resources.

WE MUST CONTINUE TO PRAY

Join us in continuing to pray for:

• The safety and protection of the Supreme Court Justices and their families and all judges, legislators and other leaders who boldly take a stand to protect the unborn from the morally repugnant act of abortion.
• All of us on the side of Life, to have awareness of God’s abiding presence so we may respond to hateful rhetoric of the pro-abortion side in truth and love.
• God to equip all who stand for Life with wisdom and fortitude to not grow weary as we navigate a Post-Roe world and continue the fight for unborn babies and all who suffer from the tragedy of abortion.
• The safety and protection of life-affirming agencies as they courageously serve vulnerable unborn babies, mothers, fathers and families with compassionate care and vital resources.
• Those who cling fiercely to the belief that abortion is a woman’s reproductive right, many of whom have had abortions, for their hearts to be transformed so they would value precious babies in the womb.
• Churches and Pastors to passionately and boldly communicate their support of the reversal of Roe and the sanctity of life to their congregations and to make unequivocally clear that the church is a refuge for those facing an unplanned pregnancy or in need of post-abortion support and healing.