When I review my life, the year 2022 will definitely be a highlight.
For years, I had told students and retirees, teachers and health care workers that the tragic 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade would be overturned in our lifetime. At the time, it seemed like a bold prediction—after all, Roe had been the law of the land for decades.
But I remembered the words of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor—that Roe was on a collision course with itself. And I had heard Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lament the flaws of the ruling she supported. I had also seen where even the leaders of pro-abortion groups had expressed the belief that Roe someday would be tossed out.
I will always recall with fondness June 24, 2022, when I heard that Roe had been discarded into the ashbin of history. It was a surreal moment, and I was quite surprised when tears welled up in my eyes as I congratulated a National Right to Life staffer on this incredible victory.
I happened to be at the National Right to Life Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, when I heard the announcement on television. I had sensed that the ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson case might come down that day, and so I had stayed in my hotel room, my eyes glued to the TV, awaiting word.
Shortly after the announcement, I ended up doing an interview with a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania television affiliate via Zoom. I was beside myself with happiness, knowing that future generations would not be legally shackled by Roe.
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There are children alive today who would not have been, had the decision gone the other way. So we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those who worked tirelessly and heroically to make the overturn of Roe happen.
To the staff, board of directors, chapter leaders, and volunteers of National Right to Life and its 50 state affiliates throughout the country: Thank you for making a miracle happen. 2022 was historic, and you helped to make that a reality.
So I encourage you to pause and celebrate the year that was—the year when life was given a second chance. We are witnesses to an historic revolution of tenderness and hope which simply cannot be stopped.
LifeNews.com Note: Maria Gallagher is the Legislative Director and Political Action Committee Director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and she has written and reported for various broadcast and print media outlets, including National Public Radio, CBS Radio, and AP Radio.
