Biden resists the end of the Roe era

The overturn of Roe v. Wade was a profound moment of hope and a turning point in the cause for life. It opened the door to finally build a culture of life that supports women, encourages family formation, and empowers parents to welcome their children into the world.

Unfortunately, the post-Roe era has also brought out the worst in the current administration, which remains committed to abortion on demand. Biden administration officials are now using every tool at their disposal to reimpose abortion on the entire nation—even flouting state and federal laws to do so.

The latest example of this came from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. On Aug. 7, the EEOC proposed new regulations requiring employers to help facilitate their workers’ abortions—with no opt-outs allowed for pro-life or religious employers. These regulations twist the language of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a bipartisan law that does not even mention abortion. Rather than follow the text of the law, the EEOC decided to read abortion into the statute as something that must be accommodated. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a lead backer of the legislation, said these regulations “disregard legislative intent” and are “illegal.”

Sadly, this is one of many lawless actions the administration has taken to promote abortion. Over the last two years, it has ordered ER doctors to perform abortions, told pharmacies to dispense chemical abortion drugs, and transformed VA clinics into abortion facilities—in direct violation of multiple state laws. It has encouraged abortion in the military by offering travel funds and paid leave if women will agree to get an abortion. It has proposed bringing back Obama-era mandates for insurance to cover abortion-inducing drugs.

And, perhaps worst of all, unelected FDA officials stitched together a national abortion-by-mail scheme aimed at flooding all 50 states with chemical abortion drugs—a move that, thankfully, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit found likely violated the law.

The administration has even gone so far as to punish individual states for their pro-life policies. A few months ago, Biden officials withheld a $4.5 million grant from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The reason? The department sought to promote life instead of referring patients for abortion. Similar funding was also pulled from Tennessee. And more recently, the White House reportedly scrapped plans to move U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama after pro-abortion lawmakers complained about Alabama’s pro-life law.

These actions leave no doubt that the administration refuses to accept the end of the Roe era and is determined to reimpose it by any means possible.

Christians must recognize that this radical commitment to abortion is not just political. It stems from a deep moral blindness to the dignity of unborn children and a callousness toward the health and wellbeing of women. This blindness is evident not only in the federal government but also across much of our culture, which for 50 years has been saturated in the lie that abortion is essential to women’s equality and flourishing.

This lie, despite its pervasiveness, has not led to greater freedom. It has only reinforced cycles of brokenness and dysfunction. It has created a culture that sees human life as disposable, discourages men from committing to their families and raising children, and robs women of the gift of motherhood. When government reinforces this brokenness through public policy—as the administration is now doing—it sustains the very dysfunction it is meant to ameliorate and fails at its most basic function of protecting life.

Thankfully, many government officials are standing up to the administration in defense of the unborn and their mothers. Twenty-two states have now passed “heartbeat” laws or better. Texas sued the administration over its pharmacy and emergency room mandates. Medical professionals are challenging the FDA over its chemical abortion scheme. And these efforts are bearing fruit.

But we must realize that the culture of death produced by 50 years of Roe will not vanish overnight. The frantic pushes to expand abortion—from the administration all the way down to state ballot initiatives—were to be expected in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. We must not be discouraged.

What we do know is that persistent prayer, acts of love, and witness to the truth have the power to persuade hearts, minds, and entire cultures. This was the story of the abolitionist movement in England, which bore powerful witness to the dignity of all people made in God’s image and eventually triumphed.

Likewise, the pro-life movement remains undeterred in the face of short-term headwinds as we speak to the conscience of our nation. We know that we stand on the side of truth and human flourishing—and we love the women and men of this nation too much to allow lies to hold sway over them. As legal battles continue, may God give us a faithful witness—and may He use it to remove this great blindness from our land.