“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5
Up until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, states were prohibited from banning abortion. During that half-century, from 1973 to 2022, access to abortion was not only allowed across the nation, but it was celebrated by abortion activists as a “constitutional right.”
This type of worldview led to a significant portion of our culture having a diminished and devalued view of human life, as abortion was seen as an action that stopped the growth of a collection of cells instead of the truth that it was the murder of a living human being. Here in Kentucky, there is a troubling story developing that reveals the fallout of a culture that does not honor or value human life.
The story centers around Laken Snelling, a 21-year-old student-athlete at the University of Kentucky, who was arrested on August 30th for giving birth to her baby and hiding the baby in a closet. When the officers arrived at Snelling’s place, they located the infant, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Snelling allegedly hid her dead infant in her closet; she is being charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. Situations like this one do not have to happen here in Kentucky. For mothers in crisis, there are options, as there are fifty hospital-grade safe haven “baby boxes” across the state where mothers can safely and anonymously surrender their newborns if they are unable to provide proper care for their child.
These baby boxes allow mothers to ensure the safety of their child and give the beautiful gift of life to them. This story reminds us of the important work still ahead of us in the fight to protect life here in Kentucky and throughout the United States.
LET US PRAY…
Father, empower us to speak the truth about the dignity and value of every human being, so that our culture may honor life at every stage. Lord, we pray for justice in this very disturbing situation surrounding Laken Snelling. Father, help us to change our culture to be one that respects human life from the point of conception to natural death. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
