Catherine Glenn Foster on Abortion and the Dawning of a Post-Roe America
In 1973, nearly 50 years ago, the United States Supreme Court conjured a right to abortion in the Constitution, short-circuiting the democratic debate then ongoing in the states about whether to legalize pregnancy terminations, and if so, under what circumstances.
Roe v Wade tore the country apart, launching the pro-life movement into national prominence, resulting in decades of committed democratic engagement and advocacy among abortion opponents to reverse Roe and return the struggle over the right to life to the democratic sphere. That decades-long effort bore fruit in the just decided Dobbs v Jackson, that will go down in the history books as the case that overturned Roe v Wade.
But what happens now? With the federal courts officially neutral on abortion, how will the Pro-Life Movement seek to achieve its stated goal of convincing the entire country that life should be protected and respected from conception to natural death?
Wesley’s guest to discuss the Dobbs decision and where the abortion debate goes from here is Catherine Glenn Foster, a lawyer and President and CEO of Americans United for Life. Foster describes how her own deeply regretted abortion put her on the path to pro-life advocacy, how the pro-life movement can change hearts, and explains the legal bases for Roe and its overturning in Dobbs. It’s a fascinating conversation with a deeply committed and knowledgeable activist.
Foster has testified before various Congressional committees and advised federal and state bodies and representatives. She is an experienced keynote speaker and has spoken throughout North America, Europe, and Australia on legal and life-related issues, including debates and lectures at legal seminars on philosophy, political theory, history, constitutional jurisprudence, and public policy analysis. She and her work have appeared extensively in national media and have received awards, including one for an article on human rights relating to embryo adoption.
Foster earned her J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center. She is admitted to the bar in Virginia and Washington D.C., as well as the U.S. Supreme Court; and various U.S. Courts of Appeals. She is a Senior Fellow in Legal Policy at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, and a fellow with the James Wilson Institute on Natural Rights and the American Founding.