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Have You Been Touched by The Pain of Abortion? Yooper Catholics, You Belong Right Here!
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January 23, 2022January 22, 2022 marked 49 years since the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion in the United States. Since that decision almost 63 million babies have been aborted in the U.S.
Many wounded people have turned away from the Church after an abortion because they often feel they don’t belong or because they feel they are unable to be forgiven. God loves you very much. There are Catholic priests throughout the U.P. who want to help you. You belong right here, with your parish family and the Church to love and support you.
We arrive at this sad anniversary of the Roe vs Wade decision with hope that our country’s highest court will soon render a decision on a new case currently before the nine justices: Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health, argued before the Supreme Court on December 1, 2021. The decision on this case may negate most of what has been established in Roe vs. Wade, ushering in a new era in the defense of the yet-to-be-born. It is a hopeful time for those who support the right-to-life, because the majority of justices on the Supreme Court have already signaled that they see problems, faulty assumptions, inconsistencies, and incongruities in Roe vs. Wade. It is very possible that the court’s decision on this new case could nullify much of the defense abortion advocates have relied upon these past 49 years.
As I understand it, if Roe vs. Wade is nullified to a great extent, it will not end legal abortion in the U.S., nor will it protect children in the womb. With the federal law no longer in force, the responsibility to decide how to regulate procedures like abortion will once again fall to individual states.
There is also a reason to hope for those of us in Michigan who support the right-to-life. Before 1973, our state had laws that made abortion illegal in Michigan. Once Roe vs. Wade was decided, the federal law superseded the state law. If the federal law is nullified, then the state laws will be back in effect. Recently, foreseeing the potential for Roe vs. Wade being set aside, Governor Gretchen Whitmer attempted to have our existing state laws against abortion repealed. Thankfully, she was unsuccessful. The State of Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, has stated she would not enforce the Michigan law restricting abortion if Roe vs. Wade is weakened or nullified. It is a very sad state of affairs when your state’s chief law enforcement officer vows not to enforce the law.
This is a critical time as our country once again wrestles with its understanding of life and our posture toward the most vulnerable among us. I would like to make a request of everyone who reads this bulletin column. I beg everyone of good will to once again examine their attitudes regarding their own respect for life. I ask this because some studies reveal that between twenty-four and thirty percent of abortions in the U.S. are procured by Catholics. This is an astonishing statistic, when considering that the Catholic Church’s support of life and opposition to abortion are so prevalent and clear. Our Church sees abortion as an attack on a defenseless human person, as well as an attack on the foundation of family life. If you disagree with the Church’s teaching, please do some study to understand better the reasons behind the teaching. And please pray about it, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you as you form and reform your conscience. If you are in agreement with the Church’s teaching, please do some reading to better understand why it is a good position to hold, so you can better defend your stance to others. In the last 49 years, there has never been a time like this, so please pray for the Supreme Court. May they be open to the urgings of the Spirit as well.
One last thing… I have made the following proposal many times, and have been edified by those who have taken me up on my offer. In every parish family, there are women and men who have been touched by the pain of abortion. You may be a woman who had an abortion. Maybe you’re a man who paid for one. Perhaps you are a grandparent who lost a grandchild to abortion, either against your advice or even with your consent. If you wrestle with toxic guilt, emotional pain or a spiritual struggle as a result of an abortion, please come to see me. I’d like to help. Many wounded people have turned away from the Church after an abortion because they often feel they don’t belong or because they feel they are unable to be forgiven. Let me say this: If you are a Catholic, turn to your Church. God loves you very much. Our Catholic priests want to help you. You belong right here…with your parish family and the Church to love and support you.
