Op-Ed: The hard truths of abortion and the sanctity of human life

By Paula White-Cain in The Washington Times

Abortion is the ending of human life, and as such, is a difficult topic for anyone to discuss. I know this personally because, as a teenager, I once considered having an abortion.  But even then, as I sat in the Planned Parenthood examination room in 1985 as a scared, pregnant teenager, I knew what they told me about my baby not feeling pain was not true.  The child forming in me had been knit in my womb and was not merely a blob of cells as they wanted me to believe. Despite not growing up in God’s Word, I instinctively knew that a person was growing inside me. For this reason, the abortion case before the Supreme Court this week strikes me personally.

On December 1, the Court will hear arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which involves a Mississippi ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.  Stated differently, the Dobbs case provides the opportunity for the Court to re-examine Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey’s arbitrary “viability” framework. Upon hearing these arguments, it is my fervent hope the Court will hold that Roe v. Wade will no longer be the law of the land. First decided nearly 50 years ago, Roe held that unduly restrictive state regulations concerning abortion were unconstitutional. As a result of that decision, over 62 million babies have been brutally murdered. The Court now has the opportunity to right this wrong. However, many in the media have begun to peddle misinformation concerning this case and what it means for the future of abortion in our country.  The Bible teaches us to buy the truth and not sell it. After all, it is the truth that will set us free. As Hosea lamented, people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. 

Given the current sea of disinformation, AFPI’s Center for American Values wants to provide you with the facts. We’ve put together the Top 10 Abortion Myths vs. Truths, which can be found online.

We hope these facts will assist you in sifting through all of the propaganda the media and the Left hurl at you. Let’s take a closer look at a couple of the myths surrounding abortion and bust them:

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, it will outlaw abortion in the U.S. False.

Here’s the truth: If Roe v. Wade is overruled, laws that relate to abortion in any form will likely revert to being made by the states.

The Constitution clearly declares that a woman has the right to have an abortion, making it a constitutional right. False.

Here’s the truth: Nothing in the Constitution’s text, structure, history, or tradition supports a constitutional right to abortion. Supreme Court Justice Scalia once said on the constitutionality of abortion that “It’s about if the Constitution talks about abortion. And in this case (a woman’s right to have an abortion), the Constitution doesn’t say anything about it one way or the other….” 

Now is the time for America to stand up for our Nation’s unborn, the truly defenseless. As President Donald Trump said in his 2019 State of the Union address, “Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. Let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: All children — born and unborn — are made in the holy image of God.”

It’s time for America to speak up for the voiceless. Now is not the time to be silent. Dispel the lies and the propaganda of the culture that demands the death of the innocent by shining the blinding light of truth. Pray like someone’s life depended on it because it does. And before your head hits the pillow tonight, say a prayer for a tiny little person, very much alive in the womb of a precious mother, thinking about doing what should not only be illegal but unthinkable as well.

In that cold Planned Parenthood room 36 years ago, I made the right decision to choose life. 

I believe America will do the same.

Paula White-Cain serves as Chair, Center for American Values for the America First Policy Institute (AFPI).