by Bishop James Conley
June 24, 2023, marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court of the United States decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned 49 years of national abortion on demand.
The 1973 decision Roe v. Wade seemed practically insurmountable, but after years of prayer, hard work, and an unfailing belief in the sanctity and dignity of every human life in the womb, truth has prevailed. This anniversary date is an occasion for great joy and gratitude; a day to recall the countless faithful laborers who have dedicated themselves to prayer, action, witness and service in support of the cause of life; and a day to thank God for his goodness and mercy.
As we rejoice in the fact that legally sanctioned abortion is no longer the federal law of the land, we are reminded that this victory is not the end, but the beginning of a critical new phase in our statewide efforts to protect vulnerable women and children from the violence of abortion. With the Supreme Court decision of last year, the authority to regulate abortion is now left up to the individual states. Over these past 12 months, while some states have acted to protect pre-born children and their moms, others have tragically moved to enshrine abortion into state law – enacting extreme abortion policies that leave children and women vulnerable to abortion, even up until the moment of birth.
Last month, the state of Nebraska passed a law to reduce elective abortions from 20 weeks of pregnancy to 12 weeks. In fact, since the fall of Roe v. Wade 12 months ago, now half of all the states in the U.S. prevent abortions after 12 weeks. While this new bill in Nebraska will spare the lives of hundreds of babies, and protect their mothers from the trauma of abortion, the sad fact is that 85% percent of abortions in the state of Nebraska carried out each year – nearly 2,000 abortions – will continue unabated. We can still do better for babies and their moms.
In the words of Sen. Joni Albrecht, the sponsor of LB 626, “the heartbeat act” which ultimately failed, “we look forward to the day when every child is protected from conception from elective abortions in the state of Nebraska.” Or, as Governor Pillen so beautifully said on the day he signed the new 12-week bill into law, we pray for the day when “abortion is simply unthinkable in the state of Nebraska.”
The work that lies ahead does not just consist in enacting better laws to protect children and their families, but it also means helping to change hearts, with the unfailing faith in the power of God to do so. I’m sure there were laws passed in Germany after World War II which protected Jews from violence and death. Perhaps those laws are still on the books. But today it is simply unthinkable that people would want to put to death their brothers and sisters because of their race. I firmly believe that one day in the not-too-distant future, people will look back on our own times in wonderment and ask, how could a civilized society allow children in the womb to be exterminated?
I learned recently that Nebraska could be one of nine states targeted for a statewide ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution. Efforts are already underway for an initiative like this in the state of Ohio for the November elections of 2023, with the states of South Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, Arizona, Florida, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Minnesota possibly to follow in 2024. We Nebraskans need to be aware of this.
Each of us is called to radical solidarity with women facing unexpected or challenging pregnancy. That means doing whatever we can to provide them with the care and support they need to welcome and care for their children. Initiatives like Walking with Moms in Need and the Nebraska Pregnancy Care Alliance, a network of 27+ pregnancy help organizations, share support and information, along with many other organizations that work tirelessly to help moms and their children to embrace the gift and beauty of life.
We must likewise extend an understanding and compassionate hand to all who are suffering in the aftermath of participation in abortion. The Church continues to share Christ’s healing and infinite mercy to women and men through diocesan Project Rachel Ministries, by providing forgiveness, hope and healing after abortion, through confidential and non-judgmental help.
I pray for the day when Nebraska will become a sanctuary state; a state where women and children will be safe and protected from the violence of abortion, and will be loved and cared for in their time of need.
In the words of Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, the Chairman of the US Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, “may all people of faith and good will work together to proclaim that human life is a precious gift from God; that each person who receives this gift has responsibilities toward God, self and others; and that society, through its laws and institutions, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence.”
