COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — On the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Tuesday, Jan. 22, the New York State Senate passed the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), which expands upon the state's already liberal abortion laws that allow for abortions, without exception, through 24 weeks of pregnancy. The RHA will allow full-term abortions following certain exceptions as defined in Doe v. Bolton as "all factors—physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age—relevant to the wellbeing of the patient." Following this development, Dr. James Dobson has issued the following statement:
"It is not overstating the matter to say I am horrified by the New York State Senate's vote to pass the euphemistic Reproductive Health Act (RHA). This bill is not about reproductive health at all. It is pure barbarism on a scale rarely seen since the Middle Ages. This legislation expands upon New York's already liberal abortion laws, which allow for on-demand abortion up until 24 weeks. The RHA's main aim is to justify abortions throughout a pregnancy's entire term based on the overly broad exceptions defined in Roe's companion case, Doe v. Bolton, including such subjective measures as a woman's emotional and psychological wellbeing. Late term abortions had only previously been authorized in New York if done to save the life of the mother.
"Already considered the abortion capital of the nation, this bill also allows non-physicians to commit abortions, and decriminalizes abortion by moving it from the criminal code to the public-health code. New York is symbolically doubling-down on the killing of the unborn on the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, casting an even darker shadow on a date already shrouded in tragedy and the loss of innocent life. This terrible news comes alongside an Iowa judge's decision to strike down that state's heartbeat bill, saying it violated the state's constitution. In the exact opposite spirit to New York's RHA, Iowa had prohibited abortions after a baby's heartbeat is detectable, usually around 6 weeks into a pregnancy.
"Make no mistake, these two setbacks only serve to further focus and energize our movement. I urge all pro-life Americans to call, write, and email your representatives and remind them that the majority of us in this country want the exact opposite of the RHA, a reduction—not an expansion—of abortion. Donate, march, and post on social media and use every tool and resource at your disposal to affect the change for which we are all praying so fervently. There is a battle raging for millions of lives preordained by God himself, and it is we who must stand for them so that they might have a chance at life."
