January 22, 1973

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you …”
(Jer 1:5)

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

Once again, we approach the sad anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision on Jan. 22, 1973, 49 years ago, that legalized abortion throughout our country. When we think of the millions of innocent lives that have been taken over these past 49 years and the damage done to Moms and all those involved in the “abortion industry,” we must ask ourselves what this says about us as a society and nation? As people of faith, we have to ask whether, as in the teachings of St. Pope John Paul II, a Culture of Death is winning the battle in our effort to promote and build a Culture of Life?

St. John tells us, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn 1:5). There are signs of light, that a Culture of Life has not been defeated, and there are reasons for hope. One of the shining rays of light and Hope over these past 49 years has been the March for Life in Washington, D.C. and in many other parts of the country. On the website of the March for Life, you can learn of its history:

In October of 1973, a group of 30 pro-life leaders gather(ed) in Nellie Gray’s home in Washington, D.C. to discuss how to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade, … soon after realizing congressional protection of the unborn was not on the horizon, Nellie Gray decide(d) to hold a March for Life every year until Roe v. Wade is overturned. 

Last year and this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of those who have been able to travel to Washington D.C. for the March for Life has been significantly diminished. Nevertheless, over these past 49 years, the March for Life has become both a symbol and an instrument to speak on behalf of the dignity and value of every human life from the moment of conception and to call for the protection of the unborn under the Constitution and the laws of our nation.

I first attended the March for Life when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school (1985 or 1986). I was privileged to attend the March almost every year from 1986 until 1997, the year I was ordained a priest. I also was able to attend many years as a priest, especially from 2005–2010, the years I served as Diocesan Vocation Director in Brooklyn. It was truly amazing to see how the March grew each year, as it would become the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world. In many ways the March has become a “Catholic Youth Rally,” as groups from high schools and colleges, along with seminarians and women and men discerning a call to Religious Life would fill the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the night before and then fill (19,000 strong) the Verizon Center Sports Arena for a Mass and Rally on the morning of the March.

During my high school years, on the long bus trip to and from Washington, D.C., our high school principal, Msgr. Philip Reilly, would lead prayers and offer some educational “history lessons” in the course of the trip. I remember Msgr. Reilly, speaking about two previous Supreme Court decisions, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education (1954). There is plenty of information available on the internet on these two Supreme Court decisions, incuding a very good summary on the website of the History Channel.

One of the lessons of these two Supreme Court decisions is that the Supreme Court, at times, makes a wrong decision, but, over time, can “correct” itself. In the case of segregation and “separate, but equal,” it took 58 years, from Plessy v. Ferguson, which said that “separate, but equal” was legal, until Brown v. Board of Education which (in Chief Justice Earl Warren’s decision) said: “The doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place” in public education, calling segregated schools “inherently unequal,” and declaring that the plaintiffs in the Brown case were being “deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.”

We are all aware that the struggle for civil rights and racial equality continues to be an issue of much debate in our societal and cultural conversation. There are certainly differences in the struggle for civil rights compared with the struggle to give equal protection to all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, but there are also similarities. One of those similarities is that, just as people of color were not treated equally under the law, since Roe v. Wade the life of the unborn child has not been respected or protected by the law.

Many may be aware that there is a case that was recently argued before the Supreme Court, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which, “while (it) does not deal specifically with the question of the legality of all abortions, it does address late-term abortion, specifically, limiting abortions after 15 weeks” (https://marchforlife.org/dobbs/). There is a great deal of information on the Dobbs case and its potential implications on the March for Life website. A decision by the Court is expected by this coming June. We can ask whether, as Brown v. Board of Education overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, might Dobbs contribute to the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade?

As I have shared previously, any efforts on behalf of the unborn child must take into consideration the child’s mother (and father), as well as what will happen after the child is born. More important than changing the law is the conversion of hearts, each beginning with an examination of his or her own heart and conscience. I have also written previously (Dec. 2, 2021) about a program being developed by the U.S. Conference of Catholics Bishops, which I hope we will develop and strengthen here in our diocese. The program is called Walking With Mom’s in Need. You can find more information on their website.

“Encounter, Listen, Discern” are the three verbs that Pope Francis has encouraged us to consider as we participate in the Synod on Synodality, meditating on the way that we “journey together” as the Church, listening to and asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As many will not be able to travel to Washington D.C. for the March for Life this year, we are planning two diocesan “Masses for Life,” on Jan. 21 and 22, to mark the somber anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Many parishes, schools, and other communities will have their own local remembrance. Let us pray that these opportunities for prayer and “encounter” will help us all to listen respectfully to one another, especially when we disagree, and let us ask the Lord to guide us in our discernment so that we may be able to promote and work toward establishing a true Culture of Life — in our families, parishes and local communities, in our state and nation, and throughout the world.