‘Stop pushing abortion’

RICHARD A. SOKERKA

In the wake of the bombshell leak of the opinion in the Dobbs case May 3, which indicates that Roe v. Wade will be overturned, the furor from pro-abortion activists and politicians continues unabated.

Despite the mass hysteria from the abortion activists involved in vandalizing pregnancy centers and churches and their anti-Catholic bigotry, which is cheered on by their violent commentary on social media platforms, the pro-life movement remains resolute in protecting life in the womb and caring for pregnant women in crisis.

The latest affront to the child in the womb came last week, when to placate the radical abortion on demand crowd, President Joe Biden fully supported Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) in calling for a vote (for the second time this year) on the Women’s Health Protection Act, or S. 4132. The vote failed 51–49 with only a single Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, voting “no.”

Responding to this “radical” abortion bill, were the chairmen of two U.S. bishops’ committees who urged Congress “to stop pushing abortion as the solution to needs of women and young girls” and “embrace” public policy initiatives that protect “both mother and child.”

The bill, which included eliminating existing religious freedom protections, was “far more extreme than Roe v. Wade,” said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty.

“This bill insists that elective abortion, including late-term elective abortion, is a ‘human right’ and ‘women’s health care’ — something that should be promoted, funded, and celebrated. It would invalidate widely supported laws that protect women and unborn children from an unscrupulous abortion industry, would force all Americans to support abortion here and abroad with their tax dollars, and seeks to force religious hospitals and health care professionals to perform abortions against their beliefs,” they said.

Contrary to claims from Democrats that their bill would not infringe upon the religious rights of individuals and religious institutions, it explicitly invalidates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in connection with abortion. It also eliminates bipartisan conscience laws, including provisions in the Affordable Care Act, that protect health care providers who choose not to offer abortion services for moral or religious reasons.

“More than 60 million unborn children have already lost their lives to abortion, and countless women suffer from the physical and emotional trauma of abortion. This radical bill would have added millions more to that tragic toll,” the bishops said. “As a nation built on the recognition that every human being is endowed by its Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we implore Congress to stop pushing abortion as a solution to the needs of women and young girls. Instead embrace public policy that fully respects and facilitates these rights, and the needs of both mother and child,” the bishops said.

Despite what the leaders of his faith said, President Biden continues to ignore them and the tenets of his faith. He and his fellow Democrats will not stop trying to codify abortion on demand until the legislation sits on his desk, and with his rosary in his pocket, he can sign it as federal law.

Biden’s abortion on demand stance is a grave scandal. He is in total dissent from and in denial of what the Catholic Church teaches on the sanctity of unborn human lives.

Even more reason why the pro-life movement must continue its ministry with love to protect the baby in the womb and with kindheartedness educate the pregnant mother to understand that her baby is a sacred gift from God.