By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
As I joined with people from around the country in a spirited rendition of God Bless America, a feeling of intense gratitude swept over me. This was the first time I had sung the beloved hymn in the post-Roe era. I happened to be attending the National Right to Life Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, when the news broke that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned the disastrous court ruling known as Roe v. Wade.
The song took on a new meaning, as I reflected on the fact that the worst decision in the history of American jurisprudence had been swept away on a tide of sound judicial reason. This is the moment I had been awaiting for decades—when our nation finally would be free of the tyranny of Roe.
I had prayed each day for years for this victory—boldly claiming that it would happen in my lifetime. The thought that any grandchildren I might have in the future would be post-Roe babies sent my spirit soaring.
The catalyst for Roe’s reversal was a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case involved a Mississippi law barring abortion after 15 weeks. As Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch stated:
“Roe v. Wade is now behind us, consigned to the list of infamous cases that collapsed under the weight of their errors. This decision is a victory not only for women and children, but for the Court itself.”
I realize that much work remains to be done to protect precious preborn babies and their mothers from harm throughout the country—including the Commonwealth in which I live, Pennsylvania. But the fact that the decision on abortion policy now rests with the people, through their duly-elected representatives in the states, fills me with awe. God bless America indeed.