Contact: Kerry Bural, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of The Southern Baptist Convention, 615-782-8419, kbural@erlc.com

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 /Standard Newswire/ -- Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, made the following statement regarding tomorrow's anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion that effectively legalized abortion:

"America has reached a gruesome milestone the pro-life movement hoped and prayed fervently would never arrive--35 years of the wholesale slaughter of our nation's unborn children ushered in by the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. We grieve over the killing of at least 50 million unborn children and the devastating wounds inflicted on uncounted women and men who have chosen abortion during that time.

"Southern Baptists are overwhelmingly opposed to the abortion regime imposed by the imperious Supreme Court decision in Roe. The Bible tells us life begins at the moment of conception and that children are a gift from God. Yet millions of our fellow citizens have become like the prodigal son, taking the precious treasure of unborn human lives and wasting them on the riotous living of self-absorption. Instead of honoring the God who gave them these gifts of life, they are sacrificing their unborn children to the pagan gods of material well-being, social convention, and career advancement.

"Fortunately, the pro-life movement is making significant progress in the battle for hearts and minds. In spite of having virtually all of the nation's elites and virtually all of the secular, opinion-making sectors of our society adamantly opposed to it, the pro-life movement has risen to a place where significantly more than two-thirds of Americans are opposed to most of the reasons that women give for having an abortion. The country is moving strongly in a pro-life direction, and we have every reason to believe that trend will continue.

"We must be vigilant to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to offer the Gospel of Jesus and ministries of mercy to women in need. We pray that one day soon Roe will be overturned and that ultimately every unborn child in America will be protected legally and welcomed expectantly."

The Southern Baptist Convention is America's largest non-Catholic denomination with more than 16.3 million members in over 44,000 churches nationwide. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is the SBC's ethics, religious liberty and public policy agency with offices in Nashville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C.

Photo: Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, click for hi-resolution version