For over fifty years, America has been locked in a struggle over abortion. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade (1973) lit a fire that has not burned out. It set the precedent that the life of the child in the womb could be legally discarded if the mother so chose. Since then, countless lives have been lost, and yet the nation still wrestles with the same fundamental question: What is the value of human life?
In the decades since Roe, the arguments advanced against abortion have been many. Some have appealed to science, some to philosophy, and some to pragmatic politics. Others have leaned on emotional persuasion. A few have been firm in principle, but most have been shifting, partial, or compromised.
And here lies the problem: while millions of Christians and conservatives have opposed abortion, the case has rarely been made with clarity or with an unflinching demand for justice. Instead of pressing the truth, we have often hedged our arguments to appear reasonable to the culture. Instead of proclaiming God’s unchanging standard, we have tried to negotiate with a system bent on protecting murder. The result has been not only delay but devastation: a half-century of bloodshed under the guise of progress.
The Incrementalist Trap
From the beginning, much of the pro-life movement has embraced a strategy of incrementalism—accepting small regulations while leaving the practice itself intact. Legislation focused on gestational limits, waiting periods, parental notifications, or clinic regulations. Each measure was defended as “better than nothing.”
But while incremental laws have been passed in many states, they never confronted the core issue. They treated abortion as something regrettable rather than something criminal. They taught the culture that abortion is permissible—just not in every case, or not in every manner. They gave cover to the politicians who wanted to appear pro-life without actually demanding abolition.
This approach, far from advancing justice, entrenched injustice. Imagine a law that allowed theft, but only after a waiting period. Or a statute that permitted slavery, but only if the slave was below a certain age. Would such laws abolish evil—or perpetuate it?
The Philosophical Confusion
Alongside incrementalism came confusion over how to argue. Many attempted to leave theology aside, believing that only “neutral” scientific or philosophical claims would persuade in the public square. Yet by stripping away the ultimate foundation—God as Creator and Lawgiver—these arguments could never rise above personal preference.
Science can observe when life begins, but it cannot tell us why that life is sacred. Philosophy can affirm human dignity, but it cannot secure the source of that dignity. Without God, every argument about value and rights dissolves into mere assertion. And when assertion meets assertion, the louder voice wins—not the truer one.
The Result: Perpetual Delay
The combination of half-measures in law and half-truths in argument has led to a predictable outcome. Decades have passed, thousands of bills have been proposed, millions of votes have been cast—and still, children die every day in their mothers’ wombs.
Even the fall of Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) did not end abortion. It simply shifted the question back to the states, where the same incremental strategies are still in play. No state has banned abortion entirely, because they have refused to establish justice, thus innocent blood continues to flow.
The Need for a Clear Foundation
If we are to truly confront abortion, we must begin where the pro-life movement so often refused to stand: on the foundation of God’s Word and God’s law. We must declare, without hesitation, that abortion is not healthcare, not choice, not a political football, but murder. We must insist that the right to life is unalienable because it is given by God—not parceled out by governments or negotiated in legislatures.
This clarity will not win applause from the culture. But it is the only way forward. To speak anything less is to blur the line between good and evil, justice and injustice, life and death.
The lesson of the last half-century is clear: half-truths and half-measures do not end abortion. Incremental laws have given cover to politicians while leaving the child in the womb unprotected. Philosophical gymnastics and secular arguments have left us appealing to preferences rather than to principle. And the result has been millions of children lost, even while we congratulated ourselves for making “progress.”
We cannot afford another fifty years of delay. The battle for life will not be won by hedging, bargaining, or waiting for the culture to shift. It will be won by telling the truth plainly: abortion is murder, human rights come from God, and justice demands equal protection for the preborn.
This is why I call for abolition—not another strategy, not another compromise, not another slow turn of the dial, but the complete and immediate end of abortion. Anything less is not victory but surrender.
If you would like to learn more about abolishing abortion in Iowa contact us on Facebook Iowa Abolitionists.
Author: Sam Jones
Pastor Sam Jones currently serves as Senior Pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Humboldt, IA. He married the love of his life Sarah in 2013; they have two sons Thomas and Henry. He is most known for his teachings on the 4 spheres of delegated government and being a voice for the pre-born. In addition to his Pastoring schedule, Pastor Sam is an avid podcaster and has been known to dabble in radio as well. His political commentary has appeared in dozens of news outlets across the country including: The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and The Iowa Standard. Pastor Sam is the author of 5 Steps to Kill a Nation. He is also a co-author of Social Injustice, Church and State, and Enemies Within the Church Bible Study.
