As Americans wait for a final decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on overturning the Roe V. Wade decision legalizing abortion, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori called on Catholics to pray for an end to abortion and to redouble their efforts in support of pregnant women and their families.
While a May 2 leaked draft of the court’s opinion indicates the high court seems poised to overturn the controversial 1973 decision and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that affirmed Roe, Archbishop Lori cautioned that it hasn’t happened yet.
“A lot of people have worked and prayed very hard for this day,” said Archbishop Lori, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “And so I think that the pro-life community would be glad to see a final decision of the court (that reverses Roe v. Wade and Casey). But we would also recognize that our work is not over because it does not end abortion in the United States. It simply brings it back to the states.”
Archbishop Lori said the first work of the church and the pro-life movement is “always the conversion of mind and heart.”
“That’s helping people to understand and appreciate the value of life, the value of unborn life, and the moral obligation we all have to care for mothers in need,” he said. “Conversion of mind and heart is first, and from conversion of mind and heart, there flows service.”
Archbishop Lori encouraged more parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to become engaged in a program started by the U.S. bishops called Walking with Moms in Need. The outreach, active in more than 45 parishes locally and many more around the country, raises awareness about already-existing resources available to pregnant women and their families.
Several pro-life pregnancy resource centers operate throughout the archdiocese, he added, which help women choose life. The Gabriel Network also provides assistance to pregnant women in need.
“I think it’s important to look at all of those services and say, ‘How can we reach out more intensely to moms who are in need through our programs of charity or programs of education?’” Archbishop Lori said.
He said the church needs to examine ways of expanding the work of other pro-life efforts such as Project Rachel, which helps those grieving loss caused by abortion. At the same time, the church must also continue advocating for public policy initiatives that support women and their families, he said. That includes the child tax credit, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infant and Children and more.
Maryland, which has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the country, is expected to become a site where women will come for abortions from other states that restrict or ban the procedure should Roe v. Wade fall. Archbishop Lori said the church must also reach out to those women.
“We really need to help get the word out that even if you come to Maryland thinking you’re going to have an abortion, once you get here, there are compassionate alternatives to abortion,” Archbishop Lori said. “At the end of the day, we’re going to have to persuade as many people as we can of the compassion and justice that are the foundations of the church’s pro-life efforts.”
The archbishop noted that Options@328, a pro-life pregnancy resource center operated by the Center for Pregnancy Concerns, is located right next to a Planned Parenthood facility on Howard Street in Baltimore.
“It’s not big, but it’s very compassionate and loving,” he said. “I think we’re blessed to have a number of these pro-life pregnancy centers all around the archdiocese. I think we really need to support them.”
While Archbishop Lori and other Catholic leaders have spoken out in the secular media in support of the pro-life cause, the archbishop acknowledged that the pro-life position doesn’t always find a hearing in the popular culture.
“The church’s voice does get out there,” he said, “but it is usually muted compared to the massive time and attention that secular media typically gives to the pro-abortion side of things. I think it’s important for people like me, bishops and priests, to speak out publicly. However, I would just remind everybody that the laity are really the chief protagonists in evangelizing culture. There are a lot of well-informed, compassionate, truthful and passionate voices for the cause of life out there. And I think it’s important that those voices be heard.”
The archbishop added that “it’s important that lawmakers, policy makers and people in the media hear from pro-life Catholics.”
“Our efforts are always peaceful, always truthful, always rooted in justice,” Archbishop Lori said, “and the cornerstone of justice is the dignity of the human person and always awash in compassion.”
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
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