I have been active in the pro-life movement for 47 years. Every day of that period, I have joined tens of millions in speaking, praying and working for the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the closing of abortion mills, and the legal protection for children in the womb.
It has been a prayer, a hope, and a goal for which we strive.
And now, along with the same tens of millions, I continue to share the joy of knowing that Roe has been overturned and that we have over a dozen abortion-free states.
But this past weekend in Texas, the victory struck me in a new way.
It is one thing to know that the unborn in America have more protection than ever before.
But on Saturday, January 28th, I stood with hundreds of Texans in front of the state Capitol Building in Austin. We had just conducted the March for Life and I was one of the speakers for the Texas Right to Life Conference.
At the Austin rally, we listened to Dr. Joe Pojman, founder and director of Texas Alliance for Life. And as he spoke these words, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the crowd who realized we were living a dream come true.
He mentioned that Roe has been reversed and children can again be protected in law. He called it “an unmitigated victory…,” and it is.
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Then he related how this victory has unfolded in Texas:
“The sun rises in Beaumont, goes overhead, and sets in El Paso…and all abortion facilities have ceased performing abortions!”
The crowd applauded, realizing anew that we were standing on soil no longer stained by the blood of our youngest brothers and sisters.
He continued,
“The legislature passed and Governor Abbott signed the Human Life Protection Act to completely protect unborn babies beginning at conception… that law went into effect last August… [it] is the last stake in the heart of the abortion industry… it makes performing an abortion a first-degree felony offense.”
And the crowd applauded again, basking in the awareness that our cities and neighborhoods are no longer disfigured by the presence of legal killing centers.
We had applauded for decades at the mention of making abortion illegal.
But our applause Saturday was different. It was not looking at some future promise. It was celebrating an accomplished fact. We were not looking forward to victory – we were standing in it.
Dr. Pojman exclaimed to the wild applause of the pro-life people, many of whom – including myself – had labored for this for decades, “All 23 abortion facilities in Texas have stopped performing abortion… including the nine in Houston, three in San Antonio, three in Dallas, two in Fort Worth, three in Austin, Mckinney, McAllen, El Paso – all 23 – They’re done… Legal abortion is done…The abortion industry is crushed.”
Applause just didn’t seem enough.
This was truly a dream come true. This was the day we had looked forward to for so long.
The words of Isaiah 25:8-9 came to my mind:
“He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the Lord has spoken. And on that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us.””
That victory came to Texas and has come to other states, too.
And we continue to work that it may come to the whole nation.
The real victory we have right now is a testament to the fidelity of God, who never forgets the prayers and sacrifices of his people, and answers them in his own good time.
The victory is also a testament to the resiliency of our American form of government, through which, by faithful voting and lobbying, we can correct an error as grave and destructive as abortion and peacefully transition to a culture of life. We have done it, we are doing it, we will do it.
What a joy to stand in the midst of a dream come true.
