Roe and the Church

Tomorrow marks the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Fr. Richard John Neuhaus has this analysis at First Things.

The most consequential cultural and political event in American history in the past half century was the Roe v. Wade decision of January 22, 1973. An argument can be made that it is rivaled by September 11, but that fateful day did not result in the deep realignment of religious, cultural, and political dynamics resulting from the Supreme Court’s ukase, which established an unlimited abortion license that wiped from the books of all fifty states any legal protection of unborn children.

It is not true that, as Justice Ruth Ginsburg and others have contended, Roe v. Wade simply speeded up what was already happening in the states. On the contrary, the country was, with the exception of a few states, moving in a pro-life direction (although the term pro-life was not in general use at the time). 

We need to set the record straight, in the media, government and the Church.

On January 23, 1973, the New York Times reported that the Court had “settled” the dispute over abortion. Thirty-four years later, there is no more intensely contested issue in our public life. This is in itself a powerful tribute to pro-life conviction and determination. When Roe v. Wade came down, it was cheered by every major opinion-making institution in the country—the mainstream media, the prestige academy, the legal establishment, the medical establishment, the philanthropic world, and all the major religious institutions, except one.

Among the religious institutions of national influence, the Catholic Church stood alone in protesting the immediate evil and long-term implications of Roe v. Wade. 

But…Catholic politicians and bishops have shifted directions over the years. If you are a confused Catholic — and there are a great many — Neuhaus helps clarify the reasons why. It has everything to do with Church and government leaders.

In the January issue of First Things, I used the occasion of a remarkable article by historian George McKenna to offer an extended review of the ways in which the Catholic bishops have over the years led, and failed to lead, in the defense of the unborn. That reflection documents how—contrary to reasonable expectations as late as the early 1970s—the Democratic party became the pro-abortion party and the Republicans became the pro-life party in our national politics.

Abortion became ‘one of many’ issues of moral concerns and for a while, some prominent Catholic hierarchy did not delineate them.

Nonetheless, by the 1990s the bishops were regaining their nerve and their footing. In 1998 they published a magnificent statement, “Living the Gospel of Life,” underscoring the truth that, while the house of human dignity, like any house, has many parts, the foundation is the right to life, without which the house collapses.

Catholic Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls Congress “the people’s house.” That house is under the control of the pro-abortion party. It’s foundation needs to be re-set.