Supreme Court's Roe ruling requires a Christian response to abortion that must offer hope, not judgment

For decades, Christians have called for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. We have a sincerely held religious belief that life begins at conception and therefore protecting the life of the unborn is as important as protecting the lives of our loved ones and neighbors. However, it is contradictory to Jesus’s message of love and aiding those in need to simply celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and call it a day.  

The lives of the women and children that will be forever impacted by this decision have value, and that begs the question: what is the Christian answer to unwanted pregnancy? Hope.  

We must provide hope and opportunity to every woman in crisis. That is why, well before the recent Supreme Court decision, our ministry invested tens of millions of dollars in a state-of-the-art facility, the Sanctuary of Hope, for women who choose life for their unborn baby. And we are ensuring that theirs will not be a life of poverty and misery, but rather a life that you or I would like to build. A beautiful life filled with a real chance at a bright future.  

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A woman who arrives at the Sanctuary of Hope is not cared for until her baby is born and then thrown out into the world. On average these women stay with us for around two years. In addition to having every basic need met — food, shelter, medical and prenatal care — we help these women get back on their feet by helping them build a firm foundation for a better life.  

Every woman who comes through our doors will have the opportunity to receive at least an associate’s degree so that they can have a good career. They receive childcare after their baby is born so that they can succeed in their educational efforts. They receive counseling, as many come to us having endured abuse and neglect. They have access to life-skills training, and optional pre- and post- adoption support if that is the choice they make. And above all else, they are not judged, they are not condemned, and they are not scorned. They are loved by everyone around them, and we ask absolutely nothing in return. Jesus’s love was unconditional, so too must be ours.  

Christians across denominational lines must put as much — if not more — effort into establishing real sanctuaries for women in crisis across the country as we put into opposing Roe v Wade.

The Supreme Court’s decision will lead many states, including my home state of Texas, to effectively ban abortion. Whether we want to admit it or not, any time the government prohibits something people want, a black-market industry is born. We know all too well the horrors of back-alley abortions. It is incumbent upon those of us who support the Supreme Court’s ruling to ensure this does not happen, and the only way to do that is for Christian ministries across the country to offer women in crisis the same love and opportunity found at the Sanctuary of Hope.  

Christians across denominational lines must put as much — if not more — effort into establishing real sanctuaries for women in crisis across the country as we put into opposing Roe v Wade. Organizations that have raised millions of dollars aimed at minimizing abortions through law, should take that same time, money and effort and now focus on minimizing abortions through providing unconditional love and opportunity.  

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Moreover, the change in the law does not mean that ultimately women will no longer have a choice in this context. Tragically, some will still consider risking their own lives and have illegal abortions. Others will travel to states where abortion will remain legal. 

If the choice is between a life of destitution and poverty or an abortion, many will still choose the latter. No government action will change that. Christians, therefore, must offer these women a real choice. We must ask them to choose to abide by the law, have their baby and build a prosperous life.  

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In the wake Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization any Christian entity that would rather pat themselves on the back than do the work necessary to show women across the country that abortion — legal or otherwise — is not their only real option cannot call itself pro-life. 

Life begins at conception, but it doesn’t end there. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the real work begins.  

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