The Supreme Court decision suddenly came over TV. The Louisiana abortion case had been defeated 5-4. The most important decision protecting life in the president’s term, defeated. Once again, Justice Roberts—whom many believe is being blackmailed into voting against his conscience—cast the deciding vote.
I immediately got ready, expecting to join hundreds of people protesting the terrible decision. Within a few minutes I came up behind the Supreme Court, a bit puzzled not to hear anything, as there normally would be shouting that rang across the back of the Supreme Court. As I turned the corner to face the Supreme Court, minutes after the decision came down, I was hit with an unbelievable scene. To the right were a mob of the media, cameras, staff and lights, but on the steps of the Supreme Court was … no one.
I couldn’t believe it. I must be missing something.
I walked up to the media and asked them. They said, “Oh, there were a couple people here a few minutes ago, but nobody now.”
With tears in my eyes, I tried to take it in. The Supreme Court was ruling on a Louisiana law that simply requires that any doctor working at an abortion clinic have admitting privileges to a hospital in case there is an emergency with a mother or child. Amazingly, the Court ruled against the law. It was the most important decision for the defense of life. At the very least, I assumed there would be a large crowd to celebrate the victory.
Of course we understand the terrible COVID-19 pandemic, but not more than two days earlier, I stood in front of the Lincoln Monument a few minutes away, behind the Supreme Court, to watch as Black Lives Matters protesters organized, motivated and mobilized hundreds of mostly young, white women to demand the taking down of the statue of Lincoln freeing the slaves. The contrast could not be greater!
Standing in front of an absolutely barren Supreme Court where, if another decision had been made, there would have been hundreds or even thousands of demonstrators protesting, my heart sank. How can we condemn the advance of evil when we do not care enough to be there?
There are multiple Christian organizations within minutes of the Supreme Court that could have been there with microphones, in front of the dozens of media, standing for life, for the 62 million precious children who have already lost their lives and the 1 million who will die this year, and yet there was only silence.
Finally, two people—a tired old man and a younger woman—wandered up the steps of the Supreme Court with a poster. Relieved that at least someone had showed up, I rushed up to them and said, “Terrible decision, isn’t it?”
The lady unfurled her poster. It read, “Stop the death penalty.”
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Eph. 6:13).
We cannot condemn the rise of evil if we do not show up.
All the fasting and praying in the world cannot take the place of actually being there in the center of the battle.
Where was everyone?
Amir George is the author of Liberating Iraq.
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