Here, in discussing the rise (and fading) of pro-live activism in America. Leithart hits on a key point. Abortion is very firmly entrenched in America’s institutions and in the morality of it’s people.
Operation Rescue launched a prophetic appeal that was ignored; the rescues made it perfectly clear that the entire system defends abortion – police, courts, the Justice Department, and not just a slight majority of the Supreme Court. Through the protests, America was confronted with its systematic evils, and yawned. That does not leave one sanguine about the future prospects of the American system.
-Peter Leithart, Blog post on 7/28/09
It’s not like a lucky draw for the supreme court would magically reverse everything and redeem us. The foundation for it in egalitarianism and the across-the-board acceptance of sexual promiscuity for the past 50 years means that child sacrifice has dropped it’s anchor deep. Heaving the anchor back up will likely take several generations of reform (starting in the church), not just a change of tide in politicians.