Area abortion foes express optimism over high court draft opinion

May 6—If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, area anti-abortion supporters say their focus will shift to the state level in a united effort to protect the unborn.

Heather Lawless, CEO and founder of the Reliance Center in Lewiston, said the leaked documents from the Supreme Court signal a "huge step for the pro-life community," but there's still work to be done.

"This is something the pro-life community has been working toward forever," Lawless said Thursday. "If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the legality of abortion will fall back to the states. In my opinion, now more than ever, we need to be electing pro-life leaders who will protect the most innocent — the babies in the womb."

Kerry Uhlenkott, a former legislative coordinator for Right to Life of Idaho, said she's cautiously optimistic about the draft from the Supreme Court, which was written in February.

"It is the proper course of action to put it back in the hands of the people and their elected representatives," the Grangeville resident said. "I would certainly support that."

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Uhlenkott said 18 states would protect unborn children almost immediately, including Idaho, because of a trigger law that was passed in 2020. Another 23 states, such as Washington, would allow abortions to continue.

Asotin resident Shannon Eggleston, who has organized three pro-life marches in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, said the abortion issue isn't over, especially in her home state.

"As a Washington resident, I am unhappily dealing with insurance, laws and taxes that pay for things I don't believe in," Eggleston said Thursday. "Our governor uses strange words like 'sanctuary, welcoming and continuing protection in our state laws' to make sure everyone has access to basically murder."

Eggleston said her initial reaction to the potential Supreme Court abortion ruling was hesitancy to get her hopes up and dismay over someone leaking the documents.

"My question is, why do pro-abortion people have such a double message?" Eggleston said. "They keep saying things women can't do if they have a child. They can't have a job, they can't go to school, they can't afford the baby, they can't love a baby conceived by rape or other unplanned pregnancy. How do they get away with saying we want to empower you by telling you all of the things you can't do?

"Our side is saying you can have this baby. You can learn to be a parent. You can have a joy-filled life because there is so much support. There are many people who help support a woman throughout her pregnancy as it leads to another positive outcome, which is adoption."

Lawless said the anti-abortion movement has changed a lot since the 1980s. The pro-life community is more focused on helping pregnant women now and supporting families after the babies are born.

"We don't want to just end abortion, but end the need for abortion," she said. "It has to be about the mother and the baby. We have to offer practical support, and come along beside her. We have to provide a safety net. We choose to encourage her to make a decision that's edifying for her and the baby, and we link arms with her and walk with her, not just through her pregnancy, but through her life."

Reliance Center offers free health care and help with rent, child care, tuition and other living expenses, Lawless said. Programs such as Embrace Grace are provided for pregnant single moms, and Embrace Life offers support after their babies are born.

"If we tell her to choose life and then turn our backs on her, that's not what we should be doing. We're not just saying we support these women. We're actually showing up and proving it."

According to Lawless, the pregnancy center has positively affected almost 8,000 people since it opened three years ago. That number includes extended family members, siblings and the fathers of the babies, she said.

"I think a lot of people have attacked the pro-life movement by talking about when a mother's life is at risk," Lawless said, "but the fact is when people speak about life-threatening pregnancy conditions, they're usually talking about late-term medical procedures, which are much different than elective abortions."

Inducing labor to save a woman and her baby is the focus in those types of situations, she said, and doctors do their best to protect both lives.

Eggleston believes abortion is a "quick fix" that can lead to misery for the women who make that decision. Pregnancy care centers are available in the region to help with unplanned pregnancies, and pro-choice supporters should put their emotion and money into aiding these crisis centers, she said.

"If our culture learned to love life instead of being afraid of it, creative solutions would be sought out," Eggleston said. "Unfortunately, many women commit suicide or really have trouble later in life because they regret they aborted their child. And where do they go when they're having post-abortive trauma? Crisis pregnancy centers. They are there to help them before, during and after their pregnancy, and sometimes it's post-abortive care that broken women need."

On the federal level, the Supreme Court has been given the opportunity to determine whether or not abortion is a right founded in the Constitution, Eggleston said, and she is hoping the Roe v. Wade is overturned.

"Pro-aborts have told us for 50 years that killing an unwanted child is a right that women have, but it's not supported by the Constitution," she said. "Ending the idea that abortion is a national right is the right thing to do, but it isn't going to be pretty."

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com.