The Battle for Life Is Not Yet Won

On January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court handed down a ruling that changed the lives (and legally ended the lives) of millions in America. The infamous Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion throughout the nation. For those on the liberal left the decision was a victory. For those who viewed life beginning at conception, it was horrendous and a wakeup call.

Jane Roe, a pseudonym for a Dallas, Texas woman named Norma McCorvey was the plaintiff in the case. Wade refers to Henry Wade who was the District Attorney in Dallas County, Texas. His role as DA made him the defendant in the case, tasked with enforcing the state’s anti-abortion laws.

Much has been written about the case since 1973. McCorvey did not end up having an abortion and gave birth to a girl. Her daughter, Shelley was put up for adoption, as well as Norma’s other two children (half-siblings of Shelley.) Author Joshua Prager tracked down Shelley and dug into the family dynamics, the estrangement between the relatives, and the conflicts that Norma was facing mentally regarding abortion. Like many in the 1960s and 1970s, Norma would have put herself in the middle when it came to abortion. Prager stated, “As many people are actually in the middle, she too occupied that majority and middle groups so many Americans believe in. They say, ‘Hey, I don’t think abortion should always be legal. I don’t think abortion should never be legal. Rather, I think abortion ought to be illegal sometimes.’”[1]

The Roe v. Wade ruling moved abortion to the front-burner in the political realm.  Prior to the ruling most Americans did not see abortion as a big issue. Sadly, even Christians were unaware of the realities of the practice it seems.

Baptists and Abortion

In 1970, the Baptist Sunday School Board (the prior name of Lifeway) polled Southern Baptists and found the majority of Southern Baptist pastors supported abortion in a number of instances, including when the woman’s mental or physical health was at risk or in the case of fetal deformity.[2] It would seem that for many Baptists being hard line against abortion was a Catholic issue.

When it came to politics, the Republican party was historically more liberal on abortion than the Democrat party due to the Democrats having a stronger appeal to Catholics across the north.[3] It was in 1976 when the parties began to flip on their stances officially. The influence of what was termed the “religious right” certainly had an impact. The presidential primary of 1976 firmly set things in motion for abortion to be the polarizing issue among many in politics.

In the Southern Baptist world, thankfully a change in understanding regarding abortion began to arise. In 1979 a full-page ad in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch listed Southern Baptists among other denominations and religious groups as affirming a woman’s right to an abortion. Larry Lewis, a St. Louis pastor would eventually become the president of the Home Mission Board (now the North American Mission Board) told Baptist Press, “Right there beside the Unitarians and universalists was the Southern Baptist Convention. That bothered me a lot.”[4]

The Supreme Court decision fueled by the rhetoric of the pro-abortion movement pushed Southern Baptists and other biblical conservatives to reevaluate their stance on abortion. Opinions among Southern Baptists did not change immediately, but over time, the stance over biblical inerrancy and a moderate cultural shift required that the issue of abortion be viewed not simply as a cultural issue, a political issue, or even a sexual revolution issue, but a biblical one.

Even Baptist pastors with great influence who had previously stated the viability of life only after birth changed their positions after much thought, conversation, and study. W.A. Criswell is one such pastor. His views in the mid-1970s would not be considered pro-life by our definition today, but by 1979 he had changed, repented, and wrote clearly of life beginning at conception.

The sanctity of human life became a theme for a generation and that theme continued. Over the years Southern Baptists have promoted life at conception, funded women’s clinics offering alternatives to abortion, leaned more heavily into promoting adoption and foster care, and praying that Roe v. Wade would be overturned.

To be honest, the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision seemed a bridge too far for many, but by God’s grace in 2022 the Supreme Court heard the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case and made a landmark ruling. Abortion rights would not be mandated by a court with no authority to create laws (hopefully, they will revisit the Obergefell case now) and returned the authority to regulate or ban abortion to the states.[5]  

This was a day that many, me includes, celebrated. A victory had been won.

Short-Lived Victory

Some wrongly stated the Dobbs case eliminated abortion nationally. Dobbs reversed the Roe v. Wade case certainly, but rather than eliminating, it moved the issue of abortion back to states. State governments vary on this issue, and the maps of pro-abortion and anti-abortion states could likely be drawn by most anyone who follows politics. The more liberal states have increased their approval of abortion, even marketing themselves as abortion destinations with vacation plans and travel agencies secured. The more conservative states have either eliminated legalized abortion for the most part in their states or have made securing one very difficult.

Yet, it seems the numbers of abortions rise. Why is this?

Some will remember when RU486 hit the scene. The abortion pill, now known as Mifepristone, is a prescription abortifacient used primarily to end early pregnancies.[6] Suddenly an abortion in the early term did not require a trip to a “clinic.” Just a pill. Just a prescription.

When the Dobbs case was handed down, Mifepristone became even more popular. Sadly, many women who have chosen to end their pregnancies via this prescription believe the risks are negligible. Despite claims that serious complications from the pill only occur in “less than 0.5%” of cases, new data from the Ethics and Public Policy Center reveals the risk is at a minimum twenty-two times higher.[7]

Despite the risk, the use of the drug is growing. Now, with the new state laws, mail-order prescriptions of the drug are more prevalent.

Therefore, in the three years since the Dobbs decision, the total number of abortions in America has increased. In the first half of 2025 there were more than 590,000 abortions in the United States. Prior to the Dobbs case, numbers were declining.[8] This is shocking to so many Christians who are pro-life. The great victory of overturning Roe v. Wade has proven to not be the end game.

I am thankful that Roe v. Wade was overturned. I am thankful for any movement that would turn back an affirmation of or pro-abortion emphasis in our nation. I lament that while many abortion mills have closed in some states that far too many (one is too many) still exist and not only draw federal funding but do great harm to so many.

To be clear, I am pro-life and anti-abortion. I am thankful for ministries such as First Coast Women’s Services who have done and continue to do so much for women, unborn babies, men, and families. While much has been done to rescue, save, and move more people to thinking positively about life (in the womb and outside of the womb) the fact is simply having a court case reverse a previous court case is far from the final victory.

More abortions are occurring and I pray that laws will be passed to help reduce those numbers (ultimately to eliminate the option) but we cannot place our faith in government to change a heart.

As Sanctity of Human Life Sunday comes once again (January 18, 2026) we will continue do what we can as a local church and followers of Jesus Christ to not only raise awareness that life begins at conception, but to provide for women, families, and children so that abortion never is viewed as a viable option.

As for issues such as euthanasia, assisted suicide, and MAID (medical assistance in dying) may the church be lovingly clear and biblically founded in opposition to such heinous and evil realities.

God is sovereign and his image-bearers are beautiful, valuable, and worth rescuing. Pray for the giver of life to change the hearts of so many who are frightened, hopeless, and seeking help to choose life. Today and every day.

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[1] Mwaura, Maina. It’s Complicated: The Backstory to Norma McCorvey and Roe v. Wade You Probably Don’t Know, Baptist News Global, 6 Dec. 2021, baptistnews.com/article/its-complicated-the-backstory-to-norma-mccorvey-and-roe-v-wade-you-probably-dont-know/.

[2] Susan M. Shaw. “The History of Southern Baptists Shows They Have Not Always Opposed Abortion.” The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2025, theconversation.com/the-history-of-southern-baptists-shows-they-have-not-always-opposed-abortion-183712.

[3] Bartho, Jonathan. “How Abortion Took over the Republican Party.” Time, Time, 12 Apr. 2024, time.com/6966056/republican-abortion-arizona-reagan/.

[4] Roach, David. “How Southern Baptists Became Pro-Life.” Baptist Press, 3 Aug. 2020, www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/how-southern-baptists-became-pro-life/.

[5] 19-1392 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ( ..., Oct. 2021, www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf.

[6] “Mifepristone (Oral Route).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/mifepristone-oral-route/description/drg-20067123. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

[7] Anderson, Ericka. Abortion Advocates Must Tell the Truth | World, 28 Apr. 2025, wng.org/opinions/abortion-advocates-must-tell-the-truth-1745726049.

[8] Diep, Karen, et al. “Abortion Trends before and after Dobbs.” KFF, 7 Jan. 2026, www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/abortion-trends-before-and-after-dobbs/.