USCCB decries effects of Roe v. Wade

September 27, 2012

In its 2012 statement for Respect Life Month, written by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) lamented the effects of the 1973 Supreme Corut decision Roe v. Wade on American society.

“The nationwide death toll from abortions since 1973 is staggering—equal to the entire combined populations of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada,” wrote Cardinal DiNardo, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “Put another way, it is as if every man, woman and child now living in the Gulf Coast states from Texas to Florida, or every person living in the Atlantic Coast states from Maine through Virginia, had perished from the earth.”

“And yet the number of deaths alone cannot begin to convey the full impact of the loss to families and to our nation of each unique, unrepeatable human being, who was created with the capacity to love, to learn, to share and contribute to their families and to our country,” he continued. “Nor can numbers convey the depth of grief and pain experienced by the parents and grandparents of aborted children, many of whom contact the Catholic Church's post-abortion ministry (Project Rachel Ministry) for relief from their suffering, for healing, forgiveness and hope.”

Cardinal DiNardo added:

Initially, medical neglect of the most vulnerable people at the beginning and end of life—those with disabilities or a potentially fatal disease—was tolerated as an exception to accepted standards of care. In time, neglect led to the acceptance of active measures to end the lives of such human beings, whose existence came to be viewed as a "burden." Now early induction and late-term abortion for "fetal anomalies," and doctor-assisted death by overdose for the sick and elderly, are not only State-approved but even publicly funded in some states …

Many fertility procedures used to help couples take home a baby result in many dead human embryos for each one who is born. When "excess" babies successfully implant and develop in a mother's or surrogate's womb, fertility specialists often propose "selective reduction," inducing a heart attack in each "excess" child. The National Institutes of Health still funds human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research, which involves killing human embryos to harvest their stem cells, despite the remarkable track record of adult and cord blood stem cells in helping patients with some 72 diseases and the lack of similar results from hESCs.

Until recently, at least accommodation was made for healthcare providers who, as a matter of faith or conscience, will not take part in killing or in other procedures they believe to be gravely wrong. Yet now many government officials believe that maximum access to the full range of "reproductive rights"—abortion, sterilization, contraceptives and abortifacient drugs—trumps the right of believers to live and act according to their faith.

Under the "preventive services" mandate of the Affordable Care Act, Catholic employers and most Catholic institutions offering health coverage to their employees, will be forced to cover all these objectionable items. Under the Administration's rule, even individuals who work for these Catholic institutions will have no right to reject such coverage for themselves or their minor children.

 

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Further information:

• 2012 Statement For Respect Life Month (USCCB)
• Cardinal Dinardo Urges Renewed Commitment To Defending Human Life In 2012 Respect Life Month Statement (USCCB)