Because the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision now allows individual states to make their own laws regarding abortion, pro-life people, especially Catholics, face a tough battle throughout the country. One by one, states have begun enshrining abortion into their state laws.
Virginia is one such state, and it will confront the culture of death in all its deceit when voting takes place in November. This is so because a ballot measure addresses “a fundamental right to reproductive freedom.” Why would such a proposal be necessary? The simple answer is that proponents of abortion on demand want to ensure that their devotion to killing becomes a matter of constitutional law. We have certainly heard this song before.
Ever since the first constitutional amendment proponents began their trek toward better killing through law, we have seen the carnage, and we know the agenda. The problem is, of course, that not everyone sees it for what it is, so the murder mafia continues. Virginia could become the latest casualty in the war against the innocent, but it’s certainly not the only state facing these types of threats.
Anytime the practice of committing abortion comes into question, the outcry is deafening from those who prefer taking the lives of preborn children over accepting and affirming the right to life for every person, born and preborn.
In Virginia, the proposed language is laced with nuance, including specific instructions regarding the commonwealth’s interest in the mother who chooses to abort her child. Specifically, the amendment forbids the state from penalizing, prosecuting, or otherwise acting against anyone assisting the expectant mother in the commission of an abortion.
Virginia’s two Catholic bishops have sounded the alarm, stating that the proposal is “extreme” and “shocking to the conscience.” As a matter of fact, Bishops Burbidge and Knestout are echoing the teachings of the Church as they have existed from the beginning. Abortion is a deadly act that, whether protected by law or endorsed by politicians, remains a scourge on our nation. Over the course of more than 50 years, abortion has killed millions of our fellow citizens, and now abortion activists in the state of Virginia and elsewhere are striving to increase that number.
As despicable as this is, there is a growing hope among pro-life Virginians that they can muster their fellow Christians and concerned citizens in a number large enough to beat back this latest attack, and those in other states can learn a great deal from their actions. Many of these pro-life people traveled to Richmond on April 22 to participate in the Virginia March for Life and to spread awareness about the ballot measure.
Giving voice to the voiceless
This year’s march brought more than 5,000 attendees to the capitol. Participants prayed and sang hymns throughout the event with several high schools, families, Catholic parishes, Christian groups, and numerous clergy in attendance. American Life League distributed over 100 signs to attendees, with messages reading “You Can’t Be Catholic/Christian and Pro-Abortion” and “Face It. Abortion Kills a Person.”
The rally began at the bell tower outside Virginia’s capitol building with a prayer by Pastor Jonathan Falwell. Speakers included Pastor JR Gurley of the Frederick Douglass Freedom Alliance of Virginia; Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs; Leslie Davis Blackwell, a former pro-abortion advocate and now a pro-lifer; Virginia pro-life delegate Karen Hamilton; Mayra Rodriguez, a former Planned Parenthood employee who spoke about her dark experience working with the organization before she was fired for reporting unsafe medical practices; and more.
ALL also distributed hundreds of ballot information flyers on Virginia’s abortion amendment so march attendees could take them into their communities and educate fellow pro-lifers. We have created similar cards for Catholics in other states that have faced similar measures and for pro-lifers fighting an upcoming abortion amendment in Nevada, and we are now in the process of creating cards for Missouri, which faces a pro-abortion amendment this November.
Our goal is to encourage Catholics throughout the country to become aware of their state laws, to determine which Catholic politicians have been voting for pro-abortion measures, and to equip them with knowledge so they can reach out in love to these politicians.
There is no “right” to abortion
Over the years we have seen many and varied political fights carried on across the land and in Congress. The playbook of the culture of death rarely changes.
In the midst of confusing slogans, deceptive advertising, and rhetorical flimflam, the message always and only focuses on the expectant mother who, they say, has the “right” to have her baby killed. The rights of the child never enter the conversation. Every day in our nation, we see the mystery of God’s plan for families undermined, as policymakers, teachers, and others seek to deny the worth of God’s gift of life in favor of utilitarian practices that result in decadence, death, and destruction of the family.
Today, seven of Virginia’s lawmakers who are supporting this deadly effort to enshrine abortion in the state constitution claim to be Catholic. They are certainly not the only Catholic politicians in our country who vote for pro-abortion laws, which is why it is imperative that Catholics speak up about their actions, as nobody can be Catholic and pro-abortion.
We encourage people in every state to find out what their Catholic senators, representatives, and local politicians have voted for and begin by praying for them. If these politicians have voted for laws that threaten the sanctity of life, reach out to them and express your sadness. Explain why they should vote to protect life in all stages. Contact your bishop and lovingly but firmly discuss the fact that the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense.” It is up to our bishops to guide these lawmakers and to help them see the destruction they are causing to families. We also ask that all pro-life people remind their bishops and priests of the specific language of Canon 915, which states that “those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”
The Catholic who publicly supports any action that sanctions the commission of an abortion is exhibiting manifest grave sin and must be denied the body of Christ in the Holy Eucharist until they repent of this sinful act.
Canon 915 is very effective in teaching errant Catholics and can result in their repentance of support for abortion. This not only helps save lives but ultimately his own soul. At the crux of any political battle to protect or preserve the commission of abortion resides a disastrous condition that can be healed if only the Catholic proponent of abortion repents and comes home to Christ.
Let us recall the wisdom of Saint John Paul II, who wrote, “All members of the family, each according to his or her own gift, have the grace and responsibility of building, day by day, the communion of persons, making the family ‘a school of deeper humanity’: this happens where there is care and love for the little ones, the sick, the aged; where there is mutual service every day; when there is a sharing of goods, of joys and of sorrows.”
This “school of deeper humanity” can turn the deadly tide in any state where abortion becomes a political firing pin in the culture of death’s arsenal. It is incumbent upon us as children of God to be vigilant, prayerful, and involved in the task of mutual service to the human person.
Trusting in the Lord always, we can take comfort in our quest to save the innocent by knowing that just as Jesus loved us first, He loves every single one of His children. Thus, it is our responsibility to live our faith openly and proudly and to encourage others, especially Catholic politicians, to do the same.
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