I RESOLVE

RESOLUTION ONE: I will live for God. RESOLUTION TWO: If no one else does, I still will. Jonathan Edwards

On May 3, 2022, there was a leaked Supreme Court decision indicating that the Roe v. Wade decision from 1973 would be overturned. Yet, when the final decision became public this week, everybody lost their minds. Some were extremely overjoyed, while others looked upon this decision as nothing short of horrid. I’m going to go ahead and let you know that I fall in the first group. I’ve prayed for this, and yes, I was joyous, but I would appreciate it greatly if you would continue reading…especially if you are in the latter group.

Before we deal with all of those emotions that are stirring, let’s look at the facts. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States generally protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion. Jane Roe, an unmarried pregnant woman, filed a suit on behalf of herself and others to challenge Texas abortion laws. A Texas doctor joined Roe’s lawsuit, arguing that the state’s abortion laws were too vague for doctors to follow. He had previously been arrested for violating the statute. At that time, abortion was illegal in Texas unless it was done to save the mother’s life. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided two important things: 1. The US Constitution provides a fundamental “right to privacy” that protects a person’s right to choose whether to have an abortion. 2. But the abortion right is not absolute. It must be balanced against the government’s interest in protecting health and prenatal life. Since the Roe v. Wade decision, judicial interpretation of the constitution is that abortion is legal.

This past Friday, The US Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion upheld for nearly a half a century no longer exists. Writing for the court majority, Justice Samuel Alito said that the 1973 ruling and repeated subsequent high court decision reaffirming Roe “must be overruled” because they were “egregiously wrong,” the arguments “exceptionally weak” and so “damaging” that they amounted to “an abuse of judicial authority.” This decision means that abortion rights will be rolled back to the state level. Alito, writing for the majority, said that abortion is a matter to be decided by the states and the voters in the states. Basically, the US Supreme court concluded that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. The right to abortion has not been completely obliterated. It is now a right to be decided at the state level.

Since 1973, over 63,000,000 abortions have been completed. SIXTY THREE MILLION lives. That is more that the combined population of the states of California and Florida. That is a lot of lives no matter how you look at it. That hurts my heart. I’m an educated person. I’m educated on the facts, and I’ve read the arguments. What about rape victims or incest victims? My heart goes out to anyone in any of those situations, it really does, and even though I personally don’t agree with abortion for any reason, I can truly sympathize with the situation, and I’m not going to judge your decision. But really, do you think we have had 63,000,000 cases of abortion due to rape or incest? The other argument is what about protecting the mother’s life. Don’t forget, my friends, that I have been in health care for more than thirty years. Physicians take an oath to protect life, and when they are caring for a pregnant woman and fetus, they are caring for two lives. The physician will do what he has to do to save BOTH lives. Any physician of sound mind is not going to kill a woman to save a baby or vice versa. That argument doesn’t hold water. And I don’t think that there were 63,000,000 abortions due to risk of mother’s health. So why then have there been over 63,000,000 abortions since 1973? It’s simple. It was too easy. It was convenient. It was a form of birth control. Many accidentally become pregnant, and it seems that abortion is the only option. I know that some of you are ready to start blasting vile comments in my direction, but please hang on.

There are so many other options rather than abortion. There are many ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy, and this should be addressed. Our country should look at ways to better serve women in need. I agree with this wholeheartedly. We need better access to health care for those who are in need of birth control. We have excellent pharmaceuticals on the market available to prevent pregnancy. We need to make it easier for women to obtain birth control. There are so many men and women in this country waiting to adopt a child or children, but the system is broken. I know that our foster care system is broken. It needs a much needed infrastructure revision. There are way too many children in foster care. I adopted two children from the foster care system many years ago. I all too well know the issues. It is also very difficult to adopt a child through private adoption in this country. It is expensive. The adoption system is broken. It needs an infrastructure revision. Many things can be done to help women prevent and manage unwanted pregnancies without having to seek abortion.

Do we need change? Yes, I agree. We do need change. But I still stand on my belief that abortion isn’t the answer to that change. Let me tell you why. I believe in God. I believe that the Word of God is infallible and true. I believe that children are truly a heritage from God. I believe that God created each one of us uniquely in His image. I believe that every human being is His workmanship, created in Christ for good works. I believe in life, and I believe that life begins at the moment of conception. This is what I believe. This is why I stand where I stand. I realize that many do not agree with my beliefs, and that’s okay. You can’t change my mind, and I probably won’t change yours. But please understand this, I do not hate you or harbor ill feelings towards you for your beliefs. I don’t hate you if you’ve had an abortion in the past. I don’t hate you because you believe differently than I believe. I may not like the choices you make, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still love you. And I know that God loves you, and He cares for you and wants a relationship with you. I care deeply about the people of this country. I know that God’s love is immensely larger than the love I have. I know that God so loved this world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16). Because of God’s love for me, I can’t help but let His love shine on you. I pray that you will turn to God. Let Him love on you today and every day! The solution is God! There is no better feeling than that feeling of being in the arms of our heavenly Daddy!

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you. Jeremiah 1:5

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 138:13-16

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

KK Hodge