On Wednesday, Dec. 1, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case called Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. At issue in this appeal is legislation passed by the State of Mississippi which bans abortion after the child in the womb reaches the age of 15 weeks.

 

The Supreme Court is being asked to decide if Mississippi, and therefore all states, have the right to exercise concern for the right to life of an unborn child or whether it is unconstitutional for such limits to be enacted because of Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 court decision that legalized abortion in this country. The court’s decision is expected to be released next June.

 

Both as citizens and as people of faith, Catholics should have a great interest in the outcome. Abortion has become arguably the single most important and most divisive issue in our country. For many, including Catholics, the very nature of abortion is deeply troubling. We recognize the continuum that human life that begins at conception. As Pope Francis recently said, every science book on the subject confirms exactly that.

 

Because human life is part of creation itself, it comes from God. That gift of human life bears God’s image throughout its continuum and we, instinctively and in faith, respect that dignity. A just government should share this concern for all its citizens based on the conclusions of reason and science, rightly supported by faith.

 

Since 1973, over 60 million unborn children have been aborted in our country. To the extent that anyone approves of or votes to facilitate abortion, they cannot escape their own responsibility for contributing to that reality. So too is there a heavy responsibility for all legislators, but especially professed Catholic legislators, who vote to fund and facilitate the taking of the life of the unborn.

 

Over the next few months, we can expect every effort to be made by the pro-abortion forces to dissuade the court from modifying or overturning Roe. But should Roe be modified or finally overturned, we should be aware that much work will be required of us in the coming years to overcome the proponents of the culture of death in society.

 

Any alternative to Roe is likely to result in the legality and regulation of abortion as determined by each state. That will mean that state legislatures will have to enact laws, and doing so makes legislators accountable to state voters. We can expect that such a process, carried out over the 50 states will be lengthy and contentious. 

 

We need to be ready to engage our own legislators. The government of the State of Illinois has already shown itself to be radically committed to facilitating abortion. Recently, as we know, our state repealed the requirement for parental notification for abortions for minors. Under the last governor of Illinois, a bill was signed that uses our tax dollars to fund abortion.

 

At the same time, any new limits on abortion must be accompanied by our commitment of faith. That means that we must ensure that we are welcoming of pregnant and parenting women in need and who might be considering abortion. We will need to redouble our efforts to step forward and help them to choose life and to know that we will support them.

 

In the end, it is the truth combined with our love and our charity that must carry the day. We must love the child and love the child’s mother. We must love also those who advocate for abortion and those legislators who vote for it while working to convert their hearts to the truth that fetuses in the womb are human beings, children of God willed by Our Creator with a specific purpose chosen by Him.

 

As Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco said in a recent interview, “our goal is not to make abortion illegal; our goal is to make abortion unthinkable.”