While some people are looking to the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court as a victory for those who advocate for the life of the mother and the child in the womb, we must also keep in mind that this decision is a legal recognition of states’ rights. The abortion debate formally moves to 50 states and US territories to decide whether abortion will be legal, limited or illegal within their borders. Will be known to the world as a group of states defined be being either pro-life or pro-death? Or, will we acknowledge someday that a country whose foundational principle is freedom and justice for all cannot exclude the most vulnerable, a child in the womb?

Our prayers must continue in earnest for a greater respect for all human life. As Christians, we must respond with charity in support of the life of the child in the womb whose dignity deserves our respect and legal protection, to the mother who is afraid, alone or whose life may be in jeopardy, and with all citizens who struggle with this most divisive issue in our country and in our world. As Christians we cannot react with violence and hatred toward those with whom we disagree. Only with the virtue of charity can we vanquish evil.