Friday stunned me at first. I was still creating graphics for that day’s and Saturday’s blog posts, so I hadn’t yet gone online. John, however, was online, and suddenly exclaimed, “They overturned Roe!” I mumbled the obligatory “Praise God,” but kept working on my drawing, It took almost five minutes for me to realize that prayers I’d been praying for 42 years had finally been answered!

I’ve actually lived to see one of the most vile Supreme Court rulings in history declared unconstitutional!

PRAISE GOD!!!

My mumbled response turned to exuberant joy as I started thinking about His grace in giving us Supreme Court Justices with the courage to stand against culture in order to support the original intent of the Constitution. I’d prayed for this wonderful day, having been involved in pro-life ministry back in the 1980s. Like most pro-life people, weariness had discouraged me to the point that I didn’t seriously expect to see Roe overturned in my lifetime. What an amazing day! What a day to celebrate and rejoice in the Lord!

Saturday morning, John turned on our local news station. Living near Boston, I expected a little rain on the parade, so I braced myself a bit. Evidently, I didn’t brace well enough, because the first story announced (almost with a tone of reassurance) that Governor Charlie Baker had immediately issued an Executive Order “protecting reproductive rights.”

Our “Republican” governor made sure that babies could be murdered in Massachusetts before they’re even born, dating his Executive Order “June 24, two thousand and twenty-two in the year of our Lord.” The double irony just makes me shake my head and pray once again that our Lord will have mercy on on Charlie Baker before it’s too late.

I felt deep grief all day Saturday, just as I’d felt exuberant joy all day Friday. More babies will live in Red states because of the Dobbs decision, but Massachusetts babies still face the possibility of execution before birth. Babies in my home state of California face the same threat. As thrilled as I am to see Roe overturned at long last, it breaks my heart that Blue states will do all they can to ensure the murder of unborn children.

It’s not wrong to celebrate Dobbs. Please don’t misunderstand me. Several states have already shuttered abortion mills, and others have imposed strict restrictions. Those developments absolutely encourage me, causing me to praise the Lord for all the lives that will be saved. But in celebrating those precious lives, shouldn’t we also pray for unborn lives in Blue states, where even governors who claim to be Republicans sign death warrants against the unborn?

The Massachusetts State House sits atop Beacon Hill in Boston. A short distance away, in King’s Chapel Burying Ground, lies the tomb of John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. A devout Christian, Winthrop envisioned Massachusetts as a beacon of God’s light. Take time to read his famous 1630 sermon, and compare it with Baker’s Executive Order. Which vision would you pray for?