Roe's and Doe's Deadly Impact Explored.

Rich in symbolism and substance, the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights held a hearing June 23 on the impact of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton that deserved far wider attention than it garnered. In a room filled to capacity, the testimony was so dramatic it drew tears from the audience.

Chaired by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Ks.), the committee heard witnesses expound on "The Consequences of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton," the dual 1973 Supreme Court decisions that simultaneously gutted the abortion laws of all 50 states and spurred the creation of the Pro-Life Movement.

"The contentious debate since 1973 over the culture of life has proven that the American people, the democratic process, and ultimately even the federal judiciary have been ill-served by the Supreme Court's breathtaking intervention into, and circumvention of, the public debate about abortion," Brownback said. He added, "To put it simply, Roe was a mistake. A very, very costly one."

From the pro-life perspective, the most telling testimony was provided by Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of Roe v. Wade, and Sandra Cano, the "Jane Doe" of Doe v. Bolton (the companion case to Roe). Both testified they were exploited by lawyers whose first and foremost objective was to legalize abortion.

Neither, fortunately, had an abortion. Both now are strong advocates of the right to life cause.

McCorvey told the subcommittee that she was unmarried in the early 1970s when she found out that she was pregnant with her third child. She testified that while she wanted an abortion, "my lawyers did not tell me that I would be killing a human being."

"Instead of getting me financial or vocational help, instead of helping me to get off of drugs and alcohol, instead of working for open adoption or giving me other help, my lawyers wanted to eliminate the right of society to protect women and children from abortionists," she said.