End of the right to abortion in the United States: How are Christians reacting?

On Friday June 24, the American Supreme Court buried a historic judgment which has recognized the right to abortion in the United States for almost half a century. For the majority of American Christians, this measure is a victory, even if some denominations are more measured. 

La Supreme Court revocation of Roe v Wade, which guaranteed the right to abortion in the United States for almost fifty years, has recently caused a lot of noise in the media and on social networks.

This decision does not make abortions illegal, but returns the United States to the situation in force before the emblematic judgment of 1973, when each State was free to authorize them or not. Several states, such as Missouri, have already taken steps to ban abortion.

For a majority of Christians in the United States, especially evangelicals, this Supreme Court decision is an answer to years of prayer. Discover in this article the reactions of several Christian leaders as well as the main Christian denominations of the country to the announcement of this news.

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Billy Graham's son told Friday morning Fox News that the Court's decision marked one of the most "significant moments of his life".

"Roe v. Wade, adopted 49 years ago, resulted in the deaths of more than 63 million innocent children in this country. Unfortunately, this decision does not end abortion – it pushes the fight back to the United States,” the evangelist stressed.

He says he prays for "every state to enact protections for children in the womb," and for the nation to "value life and recognize the rights of our most vulnerable."

Bart Barber, president of the Southern Baptist Convention

The new president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the country's leading Protestant denomination, issued a statement in which he said that "Southern Baptists welcome today's decision of the Supreme Court of the United States ".

He reiterated his organization's commitment "to support and pray for women vulnerable to abortion, to eliminate any perceived need for the horror of abortion, to oppose Planned Parenthood Ed) and other predatory organizations or institutions that exploit vulnerable women for profit”.

“State by state, mother by mother, heart by heart, we will continue our sacred work towards this goal,” he concluded.

A statement on today's Supreme. Court decision from SBC president @bartbarber.

“State-by-state, mother-by-mother, heart-by-heart we will continue our sacred work…” pic.twitter.com/gtJTWRTi6W

— SBC Executive Committee (@SBCExecComm) June 24, 2022

Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats For Life of America

Kristen Day, director of a pro-life Democrat organization, believes that this decision will create "political opportunities" for "pro-life Democrats".

"We have made important contributions to advancing justice for unborn children and their mothers, and we will continue to do so," she continued, saying it was "a wonderful day."

“We are once again enthusiastically committed to the mission of protecting all human life, from the womb to the grave,” continues the Democrat, who urges states to help women facing unplanned pregnancy, in particular by offering social assistance.

“How are we going to provide them with the opportunity and the support they need to become parents, feed their families, keep their jobs, have affordable health care and childcare? »

"Let's put women and children first and provide them with the support and compassion needed to help them make the real choice to become parents," she concludes.

José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and President of the United States Conference of Bishops (USCCB) and William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore and Chairman of the USSCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities

The two US archbishops issued a statement Friday in which they recall that "America was founded on the truth that all men and women are created equal, with God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

A truth which, according to them, “was seriously denied by Roe v. Wade of the Supreme Court of the United States, which legalized and normalized the taking of innocent human lives”.

They say they thank God for this Supreme Court decision. “We pray that our elected officials will now adopt laws and policies that promote and protect the most vulnerable among us,” the Archbishops continue.

They add that now is the time to build a "post-Roe America," a time to come together and support families and pregnant women.

“It is a time to heal wounds and mend social divisions; it's a time for reasoned reflection and civil dialogue, and to come together to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to put in her child into the world out of love. »

However, other denominations, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church are denouncing the court's decision.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

In statement signed by the organization's presiding bishop, Elizabeth A. Eaton, the Evangelical Lutheran Church has condemned the reversal of the Roe v Wade case.

The statement says that while “the number of induced abortions is a cause for deep concern,” the practice should still be legal.

Elizabeth A. Eaton goes on to write that placing "decisions about abortion regulation at the state level clutters and endangers the lives of all those who must make decisions about unexpected pregnancies."

The United Methodist Church also condemned the court's decision, explaining in a statement that this measure denies "the value and dignity of women to access the fundamental right to the care and support services they deserve".

“As a church we affirm that we are bound to respect the sanctity of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child. We recognize the tragic conflicts of life with life that can justify abortion, and in such cases, we support the legal option of abortion through proper medical procedures by certified medical providers,” concludes the 'UMC.

The Episcopal Church

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Reverend Gay Clark Jennings, Speaker of the Episcopal Church House of Representatives, both posted statements denouncing the position of the Court.

“Although, like many, I anticipated this decision, I am deeply saddened,” wrote Michael Curry, who explains that his church has “carefully” tried to respond “both to the moral value of women with the right to determine their health care choices and the moral value of all life".

"Today's ruling institutionalizes inequality because women with access to resources will be able to exercise their moral judgment in ways that women without the same resources cannot," he concluded.

Camille Westphal Perrier

Image credit: Shutterstock.com / Maria Oswalt