by Bishop James Conley
Each October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect all human life, especially protecting those who are most vulnerable, from conception until natural death, and at every point in between. During the month of October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.
Abortion is truly the human rights issue of our time. The U.S. Bishops have consistently proclaimed that “the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family and because of the number of lives destroyed.” Pro-abortion proponents do their best to deflect from what actually happens in an abortion. Therefore, the issue of abortion is often euphemized in several ways.
Abortion is often described as “a woman’s right to choose,” deflecting from the reality of what that choice does both to an unborn child and the well-being of the mother. No one is denying that we make many choices every day through our own free will, but some choices are good, some are bad, and some are morally neutral.
The direct taking of an innocent life in abortion is not good or morally neutral—it is always wrong, and therefore destructive. Every human person has intrinsic dignity because we are made in the image and likeness of God. God himself, the Incarnate Word of God, took on human flesh, further elevating our human nature.
In abortion advocacy, we also hear of the protection of “reproductive rights” for women. I have always found this to be a strange slogan. I don’t personally know of anyone in the pro-life movement who wants to take away a person’s right to bring about new life. Ironically enough, Margaret Sanger, the still-celebrated founder of Planned Parenthood, favored the sterilization of certain groups in order to promote her crusade of eugenics.
In recent years, abortion is further euphemized through the bumper sticker slogan “abortion is health care.” Perhaps this slogan has picked up steam to try to normalize tax payer funding for abortion. The catchphrase “abortion is health care” is no less than diabolical, quite frankly.
The whole purpose of health care—and the Catholic Church has a long history of providing health care—is to preserve our health. Health care workers work courageously to heal us, allowing us to attain optimal physical health. Medicines and vaccines are developed to help preserve our lives and give us a greater quality of life. Again, in simply looking at the reality of an abortion the idea that “abortion is health care” is defeated at face value. You don’t preserve health through the destruction of human life.
None of these euphemisms are helpful in our cultural discourse. In fact they need to be called out for what they really are: lies. Some in the media help perpetuate these lies by trumpeting these euphemisms. It’s very much the goal of abortion proponents to turn our attention away from what happens in an abortion and who the unborn child is. The fundamental question is whether the unborn child is a member of the human race, that is, a human person.
Because unborn children are members of the human race, they enjoy the same fundamental human rights all of us enjoy, including the most basic right: the right to life. To be clear, these rights are not given to us by a government or any human institution, they are part of our human nature itself, and, thus, given to us by God.
I have been involved in the pro-life movement for much of my life and I see a lot of hope for its future. When I attend the national March for Life in Washington, D.C. and the Nebraska Walk for Life here at home, I see predominantly young people marching peacefully, praying for the end to abortion. This great passion for upholding the dignity of all human life in our young people gives me great hope. The truth will be made known and hearts will be won by the witness of our young people, the pro-life generation.
Abortion has been available in our country for more than a century. And, since 1973, it has been legally protected, in every state of our nation, by the tragic decision of Roe vs. Wade. In those years, abortion has taken the lives of millions of children, and, it has caused untold pain, regret, and coercive harm to millions of women.
I would strongly encourage you to pray for an end to abortion, especially in the times in which we live today. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take on the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health during the 2021-22 session. While this case does not specifically deal with the overall legality of abortion, it does concern late-term abortion, which the court could use to address the right to an abortion at the federal level.
Among the number of lies about the pro-life movement is the tired tale that pro-lifers only care about children in the womb and not after they are born. This is another deflection technique that is simply not true. It is pro-lifers who support mothers during their pregnancy and afterwards. Thousands of pregnancy centers throughout the country offer this support.
We are blessed in the city of Lincoln to have the Women’s Care Center (WCC), located across the street from the Planned Parenthood abortion mill, newly opened last Dec. 8. In addition to free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, WCC offers one-on-one counseling, and parenting classes provided by Women’s Care Center, a service which helps mothers—and fathers—across the state. The counselors at the center walk with women every step of their journey, and offer the women ways to become successful mothers. The average time WCC offers help and services to women and their children is five years.
As many of you know, as of Sept. 1, the State of Texas has banned abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat through “The Heartbeat Act.” This is a tremendous pro-life victory! I also found it encouraging that beginning in 2005, hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in a state-funded program called “Alternatives to Abortion” which provides funds for pregnancy centers that offer counseling services and resources to women in crisis pregnancies. As I see it, this is the path forward for pro-life legislation: helping protect the lives of babies and helping mothers—and fathers—in challenging circumstances.
The truth is there is nothing good that happens in an abortion. An unborn baby, a child of God, is killed. Many mothers carry a lifetime of pain, sorrow and guilt due to their choice to abort their child, having been deceived by the belief that their lives will be inconvenienced by a baby. Fathers are able to shirk their responsibilities by encouraging or supporting women to abort their children.
In spite of this, mothers and fathers, please know there is always forgiveness and healing after abortion. Please reach out for help and experience the tender and compassionate mercy of God. Let us all pray for an end to abortion.
