SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Local anti-abortion advocates hailed the court decision overturning Roe v. Wade as a ‘victory for the unborn.’
“40 years of prayers of have been answers. Daily prayers, sacrifices. I just feel like finally we've been heard,” said Debbie Bradel.
Bradel, a longtime anti-abortion advocate, was behind the wheel when she heard the news: Roe v. Wade had been overturned.
“My eyes welled up with tears, and my body was shaking, and I was afraid I was going to crash. I was so excited,” said Bradel.
Bradel, who attends prayer vigils outside local abortion centers every week, says the court decision will mean fewer lives lost.
“The United States, as leaders of the free world, will have shown humanity deserves protection,” said Bradel.
“This is a day I have dreamed about,” said Jacqueline Osborne.
Osborne has been attending prayer vigils and other anti-abortion events for more than a decade.
“I feel immense joy, immense hope, immense relief. It's guttural,” said Osborne.
Seventeen years ago, she had an in-clinic abortion which she now regrets. She believes overturning Roe v. Wade will mean fewer women like her, who have felt the negative emotional impacts of abortion.
“All the women who know the pain that won't have to know the pain anymore,” said Osborne.
Both women hope the court ruling will force a greater emphasis on options other than abortion.
“Now there will be more talk of supporting of women who finds themselves in a a pregnancy they can't can't take care of,” said Bradel.
“It's s day of joy, a day of victory, a day of saying, ‘Babies matter,’” said Osborne.
Cardinal-designate Robert McElroy, of the Catholic Diocese of San Diego, issued the following statement:
“Today is a day to give thanks and celebrate. Catholic social teaching holds that life begins at conception, which is a belief shared by millions of Americans regardless of religious faith. The ruling by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization affirms that belief and recognizes the ability of states to regulate abortion to protect the rights of the unborn.
While we celebrate this decision — the culmination of prayer and decades of legislative advocacy, life-affirming events, committing time and resources to pregnancy centers, and walking with families facing an unplanned pregnancy— in many ways, our work has just begun.
We must work to ensure that California law protects the rights of the unborn. And we must emphasize that being pro-life demands more than opposition to abortion. It demands we do everything we can to support families, to provide access to quality healthcare, affordable housing, good jobs and decent housing. It means making sure parents and families have access to affordable childcare, so that being a parent doesn’t force women and families to drop out of school or leave the job market. It also means reinvigorating our adoption system, to make sure there are options for women and families who are unable or unwilling, for whatever reason, to take on the responsibilities of parenthood. Support for children and families cannot stop at birth.”
