On June 29, the United States Supreme Court dealt another devastating blow in the cause to protect unborn life and bring an ultimate end to abortion in America.

“In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court failed to prioritize the health and safety of women over the profits of the abortion industry by striking down reasonable medical regulations for abortion clinics in Louisiana,” one source said.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who was nominated by George W. Bush, sided with the four predictably liberal justices at the Supreme Court. So what was the actual court case?

“The case, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, asked the justices to consider a Louisiana law designed to protect women. This law, Louisiana Act 620, passed through the Louisiana state legislature in 2014 with wide bipartisan support. The law required doctors performing abortions to have active admitting privileges at a hospital located no further than 30 miles from the location at which the abortion is performed or induced. This would ensure that women seeking an abortion could be quickly transferred in the event of any medical complications. Every other outpatient medical provider is required to have hospital admitting privileges—this policy holds abortion clinics to the same standards of medical care that every other medical provider in Louisiana is required to abide by.”

These relatively minor requirements and regulations for abortion facilities contained in the law should not have been difficult to uphold. What’s especially disturbing about Justice Roberts’ opinion was that he cited “the undue burden precedent, (which) comes from a 1992 Supreme Court case called Casey v. Planned Parenthood in which the Court… reworked Roe v. Wade instead of overturning it.”

This signifies many challenging factors, including the possibility that we may not be any closer in 2020 to overturning Roe than we were in 1992. It also means that states across the U.S. will have an even more difficult time on regulating the abortion industry.

Fortunately, the pro-life movement is alive and well. In fact, the push to put a full end to abortion through legislative efforts has a significant amount of steam in Oklahoma and beyond. Moreover, the crucial, life-saving ministry of pregnancy resource centers continues to be effective in saving lives. Christians cannot rest until every single life—unborn and born—is protected.

Whatever your particular position is on where to go from here—or how best to save lives and stop abortion—let’s use this outrageous, disappointing Court ruling as fuel to pray more, do more and never give up, until we see the day that the barbaric practice of abortion is ended, once and for all. God help us…