News & Reporting

On January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Roe v. Wade, guaranteeing a woman's legal right to an abortion. And although new research suggests that evangelicals are almost alone in their desire to completely overturn Roe, others have noted the pro-life movement is stronger than ever.

New research from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life indicates that 63 percent of those surveyed would oppose overturning Roe v. Wade; by contrast, 54 percent of white evangelical Protestants support overturning Roe, the only major religious group in which a majority favors doing so.

Pew found that "large percentages of white mainline Protestants (76%), Black Protestants (65%), and white Catholics (63%) say the ruling should not be overturned," along with "fully 82% of the religiously unaffiliated."

But the research also shows that only 4 in 10 Americans under age 30 today even know what Roe v. Wade is.

This ignorance is similar to the experience of many Southern Baptists in 1973, Baptist Press noted. However, the historic ruling galvanized the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which has become "the most consistently pro-life, major religious denomination in terms of its rank and file" and fueled the denomination's Conservative Resurgence, according to Richard Land.

And although political opponents on both sides quickly geared up for an "epic conflict," the Washington Postreports that "today the battle is a slog of legislative fights and piecemeal regulations."

The national March for Life, which rallies against Roe v. Wade on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is now led by new president Jeanne Monahan following the death of founder Nellie Gray last fall.

In a profile by Religion News Service, Monahan said the pro-life cause is "winning with young people and we're winning with the American public ... We're also winning one state at a time. More pro-life legislation has passed in the states than ever in the history of our country."

That could be because ...

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