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Micah Coate

Roe, Wade, and the 13th Amendment

Updated: May 8

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14

If the United States Supreme Court reversed the 13th amendment, which outlaws slavery in the U.S., I have a strong feeling it would never make a comeback. Sure, some sick people would to try to make it work, and while human trafficking is still a massive problem, slavery, as we knew it in the 17th century, would never be supported by the vast majority of Americans. And any American who had the audacity to appeal to their constitutional right to own slaves would thankfully be socially castigated into oblivion. I say this as someone who believes in the biblical teaching of the depravity of man too. So that should urge us to ask: Why? Why, if U.S. law permitted the owning of slaves, would it never become acceptable again?


I believe the answer to that question is because, collectively, we as a nation were made to see the horrors of slavery and the ugly face of what true racism really is. From fanatical Christians like William Wilberforce in England who spearheaded the movement to abolish slavery to the mother of Emmett Till who demanded to have an open casket for her son, the world couldn’t unsee the vile consequences of racism in thought and slavery in action.


Overall, the real reason why slavery will never take root in America again, even if the 13th Amendment were erased, is because we all know without a shadow of doubt that slavery is morally wrong and that depriving human beings of their God-given rights as humans is evil. We all know that. And we know it because as a country we’ve participated in it, and thankfully we’ve grown to hate it.


The recently leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion indicating that abortion will no longer be a constitutional right, a ruling in 1973 that even the late Justice Ginsburg thought stood on questionable grounds, has added gasoline to an already hot topic. Even though the leaked opinion written by Justice Alito simply gives the choice of abortion back to the states, something I think all democracy-loving people should be in favor of, fears from those on left believe it could lead to abortion being outlawed everywhere.


Sure, if Roe Vs. Wade is overturned — meaning the power goes back to the people in each state, I believe it would be a step in the right direction, but it would only be a small step.


Regardless if U.S. laws allow or disallow abortion as a contraceptive, we need to see what it really is just like we have seen slavery for what it is.

Until America collectively discerns the tragedy of ending innocent human lives in the name of freedom and choice, the Pro-life movement is still losing.


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