AP Photo Archive
Former abortion rights activist Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe in Roe v. Wade, participates in an anti-abortion rally in front of Dallas City Hall Jan. 22, 1996.

New Supreme Court Justice could overturn abortion case, illegalizing the practice

Brad Jackman JAC01016@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

The legal right to an abortion is hanging by a thread.

The retirement of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and recent passing of Chief Justice William Rehnquist have many wondering about the future of abortion in America. The Court has long been divided on the issue, five justices in favor to four justices against.

While Rehnquist opposed Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court case that secured the right to an abortion, O’Connor supported it. Now that President Bush has a chance to appoint two justices, including conservative nominee John Roberts, Roe v. Wade just might be overturned.

For many BYU-Idaho students the issue is cut-and-dried; abortion is wrong and Roe v. Wade should be overturned. However, the decision now rests with the politicians we elected.

We should be cautious when making political decisions; mixing law and ethics is often more complicated than we think.

Take Jane Roe, for example, the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade.

Jane Roe was an alias for Norma McCorvey, who was 21 and pregnant when the case began. McCorvey has since converted to Roman Catholicism and feels the decisions she made when she was 21 were based on bad decisions and wrong assumptions. She now fights against Roe v. Wade.

Like Norma McCorvey, we often make decisions before we have fully explored the situation.

Political decisions based on moral standards, like the decision to ban abortion because we believe it is wrong, should be studied carefully and thoroughly to avoid future complications.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not condone abortion, however policy states that with appropriate counseling, an abortion may be allowed in the case of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother.

If Roe v. Wade were overturned and abortion made illegal, it is likely that the new law would be more restrictive than current Church policy. In this scenario, Church members who have life-threatening complications during pregnancy or are victims of incest or rape could find themselves in a legal and ethical dilemma.

Our primary hope in overturning Roe v. Wade would be for abortions to stop and all children to be raised in loving homes by caring parents. One must also consider that illegal abortions would undoubtedly continue, sometimes physically harming both mother and child.

The current law allows us as Latter-day Saints to govern ourselves in matters of abortion, but also gives others the opportunity to make decisions we feel are wrong.

Issues like these are complicated and should be approached with care.

Like McCorvey, we are sometimes misinformed when we take a stand and later attempt to reverse our decisions. At BYU-I we should study, discuss and pray about relevant issues so that when the time comes we’ll know where we stand, and more importantly, why.