Roe Must Be Overturned

The unspeakable horror of yet another child murdered outside the womb and thrown away like everyday garbage – Ron Paul, a delivery doctor, writes this is more common than we would care to know – is not only another sign of human wickedness but also of how Roe v. Wade must be overturned. Compromises that would outlaw such procedures and implement other restrictions, debated through the democratic process, would save many unborn lives and aid Catholic arguments. And they would allow us to far more effectively reclaim a small part of our moral compass as a people. Yet our current legal regime allows no such middle ground and no such basis for dialogue. Ross Douthat is, I think, on target when he suggests that Roe is fundamentally alienating, and very successful at reading anti-abortion arguments out of the debate. It is absolutist, deeply anti-democratic, and a stumbling block to discussion leading to action. In the meantime, its consequence combines with human decision to produce a haunting and unavoidable tragedy for all involved in the act of killing a child.