There is a lot to say and a tremendous amount of apologetic materials to discuss the issue of abortion. However, the gravity of today requires some comment.
The Supreme Court has Aborted Roe v. Wade
Today, June 24, 2022 is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. How fitting then that the constitutional abomination of Roe v. Wade has officially been overturned this morning!
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) was a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court which created, out of whole cloth, the fictional “right” for pregnant women to choose to intentionally end the life of her unborn child.
Of course, all rights are predicated on the right to life. If this right is infringed, then all other rights become absolutely meaningless.
A Moral Imperative, Not a Political Cudgel
Ending abortion as a practice is a moral imperative, not a political cudgel to be wielded. This fight is not primarily about policies; it is about objective and clear right and wrong. Abortion is the intentional killing an innocent human being. There is no gray area here. There are no special cases. There are no circumstances under which abortion, as the intentional and direct killing of a pre-born human person, is moral.
We must not be sucked in to the false notion that we are “forcing our beliefs” on anyone. Of course, I think it is providential that Roe v. Wade is overturned on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. Of course I believe that this the will of God, in our Lord Jesus Christ and by the intercession of our Blessed Mother. Of course it is. However, this fight has full force purely on the natural and scientific level. Being pro-life is being pro-science.
The Roe v. Wade decision would not venture to say when life begins. We know this fact of biology today with certitude: life beings at conception. From the first moment of fertilization of a human egg by a human sperm cell, a new human being has been made. This new person has distinct and unique DNA from the mother or the father. They are a unique, unrepeatable human person with inestimable worth. Simply growing bigger or developing or changing location from inside to outside the womb does not change the ontological nature of that specific human being.
Do not allow someone to say that you are motivated in this regard by your “overzealous” religious fervor. Say with truth and clarity that you are following the science and good philosophy.
Mother Teresa on “Roe v. Wade”
On the subject of the ruling of Roe v. Wade, St. Teresa of Calcutta (“Mother Teresa”) had the following to say:
Your opinion stated that you did not need to “resolve the difficult question of when life begins.” That question is inescapable. If the right to life in an inherent and inalienable right, it must surely exist wherever life exists. No one can deny that the unborn child is a distinct being, that it is human, and that it is alive. It is unjust, therefore, to deprive the unborn child of its fundamental right to life on the basis of its age, size, or condition of dependency.
It was a sad infidelity to America’s highest ideals when this Court said that it did not matter, or could not be determined, when the inalienable right to life began for a child in its mother’s womb.
America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. 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. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered domination over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters.
And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners.
Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign.
Reforming After Deforming
Of course Mother Teresa is correct. Roe v. Wade has deformed our great nation. Now that it has been overturned, it is time to reform. This is where the hard work begins! Now, each state will be responsible for evangelizing the culture to be a culture of life.
Each state MUST ensure that women have a real choice for life by opening and supporting crisis pregnancy centers, making a adoption a viable option, supporting domestic violence shelters for women and children, supporting social programs and outreach to those who need assistance, providing solid postnatal care for women with minimal means, and providing education and empowerment for new fathers.
Only by supporting life, in an incarnational way, will we help to create a culture of life in the United States. There is an immediate need to step up to the plate and get involved in the pro-life efforts of your state.
Do not think that this is the final victory. It is important. It is a step. But it is not the end of the war. We can take a moment, in gratitude and humility, to thank God for the victory of this battle at the federal level. But there remains tremendous work to be done in each state and local community.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Further Resources:
- A great article from the Pillar on today’s events
- The book “Persuasive Pro-Life” by Trent Horn
- Videos and Further Reading from Students for Life
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash
This article was originally published HERE on Will Wright Catholic Substack. This is Will’s personal Substack where he has a newsletter and podcast.
