May 27, 2019 – “Aborting Reason and Equality: A Religious Pro-Life Critique of Roe, Casey, and Abortion Rights Rhetoric”

https://www.law.uci.edu/lawreview/vol8/no4/Online_Smolin.pdf

Thus, while certain laws or lawsuits may present the issue of a religious accommodation regarding abortion, such constellation of legal issues should not confuse the fundamental position of religion in American society as to the abortion issue. Pro-life religious beliefs are a call to inclusion of all human beings as deserving of recognition before the law as persons, an application of contemporary scientific understandings, and recognition of the deeply problematic dilemmas women face in relationship to abortion.

Of course, this is an idealized portrayal of religious pro-life activism; however, while not always accurate, it is accurate enough to form a basis for recasting the relations of religion and abortion. Religious proponents must dare to come to the table regarding abortion as full participants unbowed by demands to present themselves as conscientious objectors to the values of American society. At their best, pro-life religious advocates represent broadly-held and deeply-rooted American values, and make a valid, if uncertain, case for representing the future of America.