How Norma ‘Roe’ McCorvey Turned From Sinner to Saint

On Saturday, Feb. 18, we learned that our friend Norma McCorvey had gone home to the Lord. Norma was a sinner turned saint, better known as the Roe of Roe vs. Wade, who repented and became a tireless advocate for life.

Norma had a tough upbringing and lived on the edge. She had three children, two out of wedlock, but, by God’s mercy, was unable to obtain abortions. An abortion activist attorney used her case to attack laws against abortion, naming her Jane Roe. Norma’s life was no better after the Roe v. Wade decision, and the abortion movement kicked her to the curb. She ended up working as a clerk at an abortion mill in Dallas.

Her Damascus Road experience came not from a bright light, but from a 6-year-old girl, a girl whose mother worked at an anti-abortion ministry in the same shopping center. The little girl met Norma, befriended her and melted Norma’s heart. Norma accepted Christ at the little girl’s church and was baptized by her former abortion foe, Flip Benham. Her story is beautifully written in her book Won by Love.

Norma deeply regretted the role she had played in the abortion holocaust. She would see an empty swing set and grieve for the lost children. Norma was also becoming a Christian celebrity, a role which carried both risks and rewards for a new Christian. She prayed about what to do and her ministry, Roe No More, was born. Norma traveled the country speaking out against abortion and marching with the pro-life movement.

But for Norma, speeches and marches were not enough. She wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade. She petitioned the courts for a re-hearing on the grounds that her attorney had submitted false information in her affidavits and committed a fraud on the court. Such information would normally be a legal bombshell, but the culture of death’s hold on our courts was too strong. Her petition was denied.

Norma was rough around the edges, and she could confound friends and foes alike. Those of us who knew her understood her sincerity and struggles, a work in progress as are we all. We loved her. 

It should always be remembered that Norma McCorvey found God’s love through the love of a child, not the harsh rhetoric of the culture wars, and that she spent the rest of her life trying to save the lost children of America.

Let us thank God for her life, and keep praying for the cause of life she championed. {eoa}

Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God, and the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage, and co-founder with his wife Pat of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.