In recent days we have seen various reports that two buildings have been purchased in Rockford, reportedly, for the intended use as facilities to provide abortion services. The last abortion facility in Rockford closed in 2012 after the State of Illinois suspended its license due to health code violations.

 

At the same time, according to WMTV in Madison, Planned Parenthood of Illinois and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin have announced that they are working in partnership to provide abortions in Illinois for Wisconsin residents. 

 

These events follow the recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health which overturned Roe v. Wade, a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision which restricted states in enacting limits on abortion to respect the life of the unborn and to protect mothers considering abortions. In the wake of Dobbs, a Wisconsin law that prohibits abortions has now gone into effect.

 

The overturning of Roe v. Wade was once thought to be virtually impossible. However, after years of prayer, of reflection and constant lobbying and debate, and plenty of marches and peaceful protests by people of good will and often of faith, that law was declared by the Supreme Court to be the unconstitutional judicial overreach that many had long recognized. 

 

We are now entering into a period when the laws which will protect and foster respect for the life of the unborn will become the purview of state legislatures. Therefore, those laws will become a matter that can be more greatly influenced by voters in each state.

 

As a comparison, even prior to the Dobbs decision, the elected representatives of our neighboring state of Wisconsin had enacted measures which reflect society’s concern for both mothers and their unborn children. These included, according to Illinois Newsroom, “a 24-hour waiting period and state-directed counseling that included information designed to discourage a patient from having an abortion, a prohibition against the use of telemedicine to administer abortion medications; and a requirement for parental consent to perform an abortion on a minor, among others.”

 

Illinois, on the other hand, has a very different approach to mothers in difficulty and to the value of the life of the child in the womb. Again, according to Illinois Newsroom, “Illinois, by contrast, imposes virtually no legal restrictions on access to abortion services. A 2019 law, known as the Reproductive Health Act, declares access to abortion services a ‘fundamental right’ under Illinois law. And last year, lawmakers repealed what was known as the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, requiring parents of minors seeking abortions to be notified before the procedure could be performed.”

 

We should ask ourselves which of these two approaches is the way of love and acceptance? Which is the approach that accepts the science that the child in the womb is already a human person, on the way to birthday parties, being a teenager, an adult, a wise grandparent? And which set of policies dehumanizes this reality and harms both mother and child in the process?

 

The planned introduction of new facilities for carrying out abortion services in Rockford is part of this divide. Our task now, as Catholics and as people of good will, is to choose life. We must pray and fast, asking God to spare us the horror of such facilities in our communities. We must offer many positive alternatives. For example, pregnancy centers that will help mothers, fathers and children in need and guide parents in options that preserve the life of their child. Our approach must be loving and trusting in God’s grace.

 

But we must also take this moment to renew the debate. We must speak out and make the case in favor of life. We must contact our legislators at all levels of government in our cities and state. We might start by contacting again those who recently voted to strip parents of the right to know that their minor child is seeking an abortion (parental consent). They must hear our voice of disapproval.

 

There is much work that lies ahead to make abortion unthinkable. But the efforts that resulted in the overturning of Roe v. Wade remind us that with faith, good will and God’s help, we have both hope and conviction at this moment. God is, after all, the God of life.