Forty Days to Reflect on Forty Years of Roe

Details: 07 December 2012

January 22, 2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion during all nine months of pregnancy for virtually any reason. As it turns out, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12 is exactly 40 days (not counting Christmas Day and New Years Day) from Jan. 22.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the unborn. Hence, her feast day and the 40 days between it and the 40th anniversary of Roe provide an excellent opportunity to educate the public on the tragic reality and results of Roe and to urge prayer for an end to abortion and for a culture that fully respects human life and love.

To this end, my office is providing educational and prayer resources for use in parishes, schools, religious education programs, etc. during this 40 days. The educational materials debunk the common myths about Roe v. Wade, give voice to the testimonies of post-abortive women, as well as prominent women speaking about the harm of abortion, and present scientific and scriptural quotes about life in the womb.

The educational material is presented in a couple different formats. The first is a document with 40 daily facts/reflections along with a daily prayer intention. The second format presents the facts/reflections in four bulletin inserts intended to be used during the 40 day period. All of these materials are available (under "40 Years of Roe v. Wade") on the Nebraska Catholic Conference website at www.nebcathcon.org.

As for prayer opportunities and resources, in addition to the 40 daily prayer intentions mentioned previously, parishes are encouraged to have a special pro-life Mass or Holy Hour at the beginning (Dec. 12) and end (Jan. 22) of this 40 days of prayer and reflection. Resources for a pro-life holy hour and a "Mass for Giving Thanks for the Gift of Human Life" are available online at www.usccb.org/prolife (click on "prayers").

In addition to these educational efforts in the parishes, my office will be sending an e-mail each day between Dec.12 and Jan. 22 (minus Christmas Day and New Years Day) featuring the daily reflections and prayers. Those not already receiving my e-mail updates can contact my office to sign up.

Polls often show that most people support Roe v. Wade, but only because they do not realize the radical nature of Roe. For example, most people wrongly think Roe only legalized abortion during the first three months of pregnancy when, in actuality, it legalized abortion during all nine months for virtually any reason.

Likewise, most people think that the majority of abortions are done because of maternal or fetal health problems, or in cases of rape or incest. In reality, abortions are rarely done for those reasons; more than 90 percent are done for social or economic reasons.

Polls also show that most Americans oppose the majority of abortions performed and allowable under Roe (i.e. 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions and those done for social or economic reasons). The 40th anniversary of Roe provides an excellent opportunity to correct society’s misperceptions of Roe v. Wade and to expose its radical nature.

Probably one of the most powerful indictments of Roe came from Blessed Mother Teresa who said that "America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe vs. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father’s role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts—a child—as a competitor, an intrusion and an inconvenience."

You can contact Greg at The Nebraska Catholic Conference, 215 Centennial Mall South Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.