Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. When the Supreme Court removed most state restrictions on abortion more than forty years ago, who could have predicted the world we live in today.

When the ruling came down, few understood the long-term implications. I remember speaking on the issue in college classrooms a few years later and wondering when the Supreme Court would reverse its decision. By the 1980s, it seemed like only a matter of time that abortion would once again be restricted in America. That did not happen.

A whole generation of young people has grown up never having known a time when abortions were illegal. They may have seen some protests and may have heard some debate about the subject. But that is perhaps the sum total of their experience.

Those of us who are older can see the impact. Abortion has left a scar on the soul of this nation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, slavery was a scar on America’s soul. Today abortion leaves the same scar, even though it may be invisible to many people.

I see the evidence of these scars when I take phone calls from women who were exploited by abortion. I see evidence of these scars when I hear the cavalier comments of young people about human life. I see those scars when I hear people debate related issues like stem cell research and physician assisted suicide.

But I also see the healing when I see the good work of pregnancy resource centers. I understand from people working in this area that there are three times as many pregnancy resource centers in this country as there are abortion clinics. In many ways, the pro-life movement is winning the war of ideas.

And I am encouraged that so many young people (our future leaders) are pro-life and understand the importance of being pro-life. So there are some encouraging signs even as we see the scars left by abortion.