A quarter-century of pro-life effort

On January 25, 1973, three days after the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe vs. Wade ruling, legalized abortion-on-demand nationwide, an editorial in The Evangelist expressed outrage at the "gross legal and medical errors" in the decision, and then asked: "What steps can be taken to counteract this ruling?"

The suggestions that followed still make sense 25 years later:

* Education so that people understand the realities of fetal development, the dignity of human life and the rights of the unborn;

* Financial support for agencies that provide alternatives to abortion, such as Birthright and the diocesan Community Maternity Services;

* Efforts on the legislative front to curtail and eventually end abortion; and

* Prayer "to renew our resolve and to enlighten minds clouded by the ruling."

Pro-lifers, who were initially stunned by the Court's ruling a quarter-century ago, quickly recovered their resolve and re-committed themselves to what promised to be a very lengthy effort to restore respect for life. In the intervening years, they have won and lost in courts and legislatures, in public opinion and the media. Against long odds, they have struggled on, gaining strength from their victories and refusing to be beaten down by a society that often seems blindly determined -- in its support of Dr. Kevorkian, in its backing of capital punishment, in the election of a president who favors partial-birth abortion -- to become totally anti-life.

The best causes in American history -- establishing democracy, ending slavery, giving women the vote, providing civil rights for all -- have taken decades to achieve. Ending abortion is one of those good causes. Twenty-five years after the Roe decision (see pages 13-24), we applaud the continuing fortitude and on-going patience of those engaged in the effort to protect the unborn. In the end, through education and effort, and especially through prayer, they will triumph.

(01-22-98)