Pastor’s Article 5/3/2022
I had planned on a completely different topic for this weeks’ article, but the news this morning changed all that.
What Happened?
We’ve known for months that the US Supreme Court intended to hand down a major abortion ruling either this coming June or July.
However, what happened yesterday is that somebody leaked to the media a draft of the majority decision – the decision being a wholesale reversal of Roe v. Wade, the infamous 1973 decision that made abortion legal in all 50 states.
A reversal of Roe means there is no “right” to an abortion in the US Constitution. Thus, it will be left to each state to decide if & when an abortion is permitted.
If indeed the Court’s decision, this is a wonderful thing for our country. As Christians who believe in the sanctity of life, we should be overjoyed!
A Word of Caution
The “word of caution” is that a decision isn’t final until officially announced. This means it’s possible the decision could be modified or even terminated altogether.
Normally, after arguments are heard, the 9 justices take an informal vote, and then the chief justice assigns a justice in the majority to write a draft of the “majority opinion.” Once written, the draft is then circulated for feedback. As mentioned, this process could result in major changes, and one or more justices might even change their position.
Bottom line: We need to wait for the final decision.
Dirty Pool
Court-watchers say there’s never been a leak like this and what happened yesterday was a major breach of trust, protocol and ethics.
The leak almost certainly came from a clerk to one of the liberal justices. If so, it was done to intimidate the majority and pressure them to change their decision.
The last minute shenanigans remind me of what the political left tried to do to Judge Kavanaugh as he was being considered for the Supreme Court in 2018. That travesty may well be a “day at the beach” compared to what will likely unfold over the next days and weeks.
I’ll conclude with these words from Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Seminary:
“We must all pray that the resolve [of the majority of justices reflected in the draft opinion] will hold fast in the days ahead. And when the Supreme Court hands down its ruling in coming weeks, the defenders of life dare to hope that this is indeed the court’s ruling and, oh Lord, let us pray, may it be true.”
Pastor Dan