Smart Ideas: Revisited
Does Genesis Contradict Roe v. Wade?
If you grew up hearing Bible stories and also followed US politics, you’ve probably heard someone say “Genesis contradicts Roe v. Wade.” It sounds dramatic, but it’s really about two very different books talking about very different things. One is an ancient religious text. The other was a 1973 US Supreme Court decision about abortion that got overturned in 2022. So how do people even connect them? It comes down to how we read Genesis and what we think it says about life, and human value.
Let’s start with Genesis. The first two chapters give us the origin story. Genesis 1 says humans are made “in the image of God.” Genesis 2:7 is the one people quote a lot: “the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” That “breath of life” line is huge in this debate. Some readers take it to mean that life in the full sense starts when there is breath, at birth. Others point to Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” For them, being made in God’s image starts early, and that includes the unborn. Genesis itself never uses modern words like “fetus,” “trimester,” or “abortion.” It’s telling a story about creation, covenant, and human purpose, not writing a medical or legal manual.
Now Roe v. Wade. The Court in 1973 wasn’t trying to interpret the Bible. The justices were looking at the US Constitution, specifically the right to privacy. They ruled that the decision to have an abortion was protected, especially in the first trimester, with more state regulation allowed later in pregnancy. The opinion didn’t cite Genesis, Exodus, or any religious text. It was legal reasoning. In 2022, Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe and said abortion policy should be decided by states, not the federal courts. So Roe itself is already history as binding law, but the cultural argument around it is still very much alive.
So where’s the supposed contradiction? It depends on which verse you lean on. If you read Genesis 2:7 as the key moment breath equals life then some argue that Genesis supports a view closer to what Roe allowed in early pregnancy. If you read Genesis 1:27 and 9:6 as the key image of God from the start then some argue Genesis pushes against abortion and therefore against the logic of Roe. Both sides are pulling from the same book but highlighting different parts. Neither reading is “in” the text of Roe. The Court wasn’t exegeting Genesis. The connection is being made by people today who want their faith and their politics to line up.
At the end of the day, saying “Genesis contradicts Roe v. Wade” says more about us than about either text. Genesis is asking big questions: What does it mean to be human? What is our responsibility to each other? Roe was asking legal questions: What does the Constitution protect? How do we balance rights? You can personally believe Genesis shapes how you vote, and that’s fine. But the contradiction isn’t direct. It’s an argument we’re having now, using an ancient story to talk about a modern law. And that’s why the conversation keeps going.