A message from Dr. John Yeats, Executive Director of the Missouri Baptist Convention
Today is the day that pro-lifers have anticipated for 50 years and I have worked for my entire adult life! Finally, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has restored justice and overturned the egregious decision of Roe v. Wade with its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.
We have long known the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.
SCOTUS has rejected the erroneous narrative that a “right” to abortion exists in the U.S. Constitution, meaning individual states are at liberty to establish jurisdiction and limits over abortion. The biblically based efforts to protect the unborn are no longer hindered by a fraudulent and misguided Supreme Court ruling, which invented a non-existent “right.”
This is a monumental victory for children and people with a Christian worldview, and it warrants celebration. We should praise God for answered prayer and an end to the legal nightmare that resulted in the killing of more than 63 million children.
While this is a major victory, the care and compassion work must go to a new level. The court has done its job, but it cannot do ours. We are simply entering a new phase in the struggle for life. The “culture of death” that Roe fostered needs to be systematically deconstructed. As the people of God in Missouri, we must focus renewed energy in the work of our Missouri Baptist Children’s Home and in care ministries in our local context.
Abortion now must be made unthinkable. Only through compassionate outreach, intentional education, and principled advocacy will hearts and minds be transformed so that life may be protected at every stage of development.
We must continue to exercise extraordinary compassion toward every expecting mother in unplanned and difficult circumstances.
Churches and their members must offer help and hope to abortion-vulnerable women. We must fortify pregnancy care centers by adopting them as a charitable cause, direct assistance to moms in need, and walk with those that are in need.
Missouri Baptists, we need to be prepared to defend the sanctity of life at all times. It is our biblical responsibility. Because of this decision, some people will resort to acts of violence, as they have committed to do. Proponents of the respect life ethic will face challenges like never before. This article from North Carolina Baptists offers practical advice for churches to prepare for potential demonstrations.
Stand firm in convictional truth, love generously and may the gospel light shine above all.