Respect Life

The Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade

Part I

Confusion and misinformation surrounds the recent decision of the Supreme Court that overturned the Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973. Over the next few weeks, our Respect Life group would like to provide five points that can help make the ruling understandable. These points are gleaned from www.SupremeCourtVictory.com of Priests for Life (Look under Talking Points.).

• In Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), the Supreme Court stated that abortion, unlike any other medical procedure and unlike most other activities, had a special status as a “Constitutional right.”
   
• As a result, it became very difficult for the law to prohibit or limit it. The Court said the American people, through their elected lawmakers, could not prohibit abortion prior to viability.
   
• Roe and Casey did admit, however, that the “right to abortion” was not absolute, because along with the woman’s freedom, there was also her health to protect and a developing life within her to consider. The Court said that the state does have an interest in protecting these, but the ruling tied the hands of the state as far as how much protection it could provide.
   
• Therefore, just about any time pro-life laws were passed, court battles would ensue, and the Supreme Court had to rule on abortion dozens of times. But the rules the court used in to evaluate laws about abortion kept changing and were unclear. Rulings on abortion laws became very unpredictable. As a result, meaningful changes in the law were difficult.

Part II

Confusion and misinformation surrounds the recent decision of the Supreme Court that overturned the Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973. This week our Respect Life group provides the second in a series of five points that can help make the ruling understandable. These points are gleaned from www.SupremeCourtVictory.com of Priests for Life.
 

• In the recent Dobbs case, the Court examined the question of whether the Constitution really does confer a “right to abortion,” and concluded that it does not. The Dobbs case was really the first time the Court effectively addressed this question since the Roe and Casey rulings did not.
   
• The decision that abortion is not a Constitutional right, the Dobbs case overruled Roe and Casey and returned the regulation of abortion to the people and their elected representatives. This means that the Supreme Court is not imposing any national policy. The ruling leaves it to the American people to work out abortion policy through their elected representatives.
   
• The Dobbs case clarified that a “right to abortion” is not found in the text of the Constitution nor in the history, tradition, and legal practices of our country. A “Constitutional right” is either in the text or in the history. Abortion is in neither. History shows it was a crime in every state.
   
• Supporters of Roe and Casey say the “right to abortion” is rooted in the broader right of “privacy,” or in the provision of “liberty” in the 14th Amendment. But history does not show this, and the Dobbs ruling reminded us that Courts need to be very cautious about reading into “liberty” rights that are not there.
   
• The “right to abortion” is unlike the privacy rights one has regarding the choice of a spouse or how one chooses to educate a child, because none of these or other privacy rights involve purposely ending a life. Even Roe and Casey acknowledge that abortion is inherently different, and “a unique act.”

Part III

Confusion and misinformation surrounds the recent decision of the Supreme Court that overturned the Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973. This week our Respect Life group has provided the third in a series of five points that can help make the ruling understandable. These points are gleaned from www.SupremeCourtVictory.com of Priests for Life.
 

• In deciding cases, the Supreme Court considers how it has ruled in the past on similar issues, and has a presumption of sticking with past decisions, for the sake of the predictability and consistency of decisions. This is called “stare decisis.” But the Court affirms that this is not absolute or an inexorable command. The Court has reversed itself many times when it realized a past decision was wrong, e.g. Brown v. Board of Education which, after 58 years, reversed a decision that legalized segregation.
   
• The Dobbs case cited five reasons for overruling Roe and Casey:
   
  1. The decision that abortion was a “Constitutional right” was an egregious error on a deeply consequential matter, which it removed from the democratic lawmaking process.
      
  2. The reasoning behind Roe and Casey was exceptionally weak. Both decisions drew lines  about when and in what way abortion could be regulated, but gave no reason why the Constitution would require the lines to be drawn. The policy they set was more legislative than judicial activity. And Casey, while upholding Roe, also modified it significantly, changed its reasoning, and overruled two other abortion cases that relied on it.
      
  3. The standards that the Roe and Casey decisions gave the courts for evaluating the constitutionality of abortion laws were so vague, inconsistent, and undefined that they were unworkable. They did not provide clear and predictable guidance needed for the courts.

Part IV

Confusion and misinformation surrounds the recent decision of the Supreme Court that overturned the Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973. This week our Respect Life group provides the second in a series of five points that can help make the ruling understandable. These points are gleaned from www.SupremeCourtVictory.com of Priests for Life.
 

• Two additional reasons cited by the Supreme Court for overturning the Roe and Casey decisions are:
  • The Roe and Casey decisions did damage to other areas of the law, including the free speech rights of those who oppose abortion, and to doctrines like "third party standing," which is usually not permitted, but allowed abortionists to represent their patients in court.
  • Contrary to what Casey said, the advancement of women in society does not depend on the availability of abortion.
• The Dobbs decision allows legislatures to pass any laws prohibiting or restricting abortion as long as there is a rational basis for those laws and that they are advancing a legitimate interest of the state, e.g., protecting unborn babies, women's health, and the integrity of the medical profession, eliminating barbaric procedures, protecting unborn babies from pain.
• In short, the Supreme Court no longer wants to be the "medical review board" for abortion policy, not does it want to replace its judgement for the judgement the lawmakers whom the people elect. Laws on abortion that are challenged in court are to be given "a strong presumption of validity."

Catholic Church in New Jersey Stands Ready
to Help Moms and Mothers-to-Be

A joint statement from the New Jersey Catholic Bishops on the Dobbs v Jackson Ruling

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Help Save Lives

Prayer Opportunities to support life:

Our Lady of Sorrows - St. Anthony's Respect Life Committee: Zoom Rosary for Life each Wednesday evening at 6:45 PM. For information and rosary Zoom address, contact Dominic Conte at flyingc84@gmail.com

St. Raphael-Holy Angels' Respect Life Committee: Rosary for Life each 2nd Sunday of the month at 11:00 AM prior to the 11:30 AM Mass in the Church. For information, contact Trish Teague at trishteague@yahoo.com.

For more opportunities to support life, go to:

ols-sa.org/respect-life
straphael-holyangels.com/ministries/service/respect-life-committee
stgregorythegreatchurch.org/rl

 

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Respecting life is not only about abortion and physician-assisted suicide. It is also about human trafficking, which denies the dignity of human beings:

“Never Been as Many Slaves in the World as Today” 

So said Gabriella Bottani of Talitha Kum, a global network of nuns that assists trafficked persons, as she participated in a nun’s march in Vatican City last month. The International Labor Organization estimates that almost 25 million people are in forced labor worldwide; about 20% of those are in forced sexual exploitation. The Talitha Kum group is based in Rome and operates in 92 nations to coordinate the actions of Catholic nuns who fight human trafficking. It supports women who had been sold into prostitution as well as the thousands of adults and children who are sold into forced labor or slavery. Pope Francis again spoke out on behalf of the millions of men, women and children who are trafficked and enslaved, calling human trafficking a “scourge” and an “open wound.” [E. Povoledo, “Nuns March,” NYTimes, 2/10/20]
 

A message for Respect Life Month from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.

I am convinced, after almost 65 years on this earth, that all of the problems impacting us in this world of ours derive from a single root cause: the failure to “respect life in all its stages, from conception to natural death.”

Abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment; acts of terror and war; escalating crime; violence and wanton killing of innocents; domestic and sexual abuse; drugs and gang crimes; the immigration crisis; poverty and inequality; discrimination and injustice; racism and hatred; breakdown of the family; blatant disregard for the environment — these are all “life issues” because they tear at the most basic obligation of every human: to respect life. Think about it for a moment.

To read the full message from Bishop David M. O'Connell C.M. click here.

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Calls to Action:

Speak out against the Reproductive Freedom Act in NJ. Call, email, or send a letter to your representatives to explain why this law is a travesty of freedom, and destroys your constitutional right to freedom of religion. It also makes abortions much more dangerous for the women who choose to have them. Read more about it on the Legislative Updates page. You can find a link that makes it easy for you to make your opposition known in the article "Action Needed" under News in the column on the left of this page. Don't wait! Speak now, or we will suffer the consequences.

40 Days for Life

Join our Cohort Respect Life groups in the 40 days of Lent to pray for an end to abortion, and to provide public witness and prayer in front of the Planned Parenthood facility in the Golden Crest Office Park on Rt. 33. For more information, see the 40 Days for Life page on our website.

See the Legislative Updates page for information on the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.

Don't be discouraged in the face of media insistence on abortion at any time. Most of America doesn't agree:

• Gallup polling indicates that
  • 76% of Americans support laws that protect babies who survive an abortion,
  • 81% oppose abortions in the third trimester, and
  • 65% oppose abortions in the second trimester.
• A Rasmussen poll showed that 70% of Americans agree that doctors should be required to provide medical care to a child who survives an abortion.
• And a Basswood Research survey found that 54% of Americans oppose 97%- 100% of all abortions. [Priests for Life, 9/13/19

Upcoming Events

• 2022 March for Life: The 49th Annual March for Life will be held on Friday, January 22. Plan to attend! You can sign up to join a bus trip leaving St. Gregory the Great's parking lot at 7:30 AM on the 21st and returning by 9:30 PM. Check out the news item to the left for more details.
• Online Rosary Vigil for Life: Our Parish Respect Life Committee hosts a Zoom Meeting at 6:45 pm every Wednesday to pray the rosary for an end to both abortion and the coronavirus pandemic. Sign in to the meeting by 6:40 pm by clicking on https://zoom.us/j/138600474?pwd=VHUrQVFUL3FGUEM0TUtsS1g4NnpTUT09, then clicking on “join the meeting.” Meeting ID: 138 600 474; password: 736053.
• Saturdays throughout the year: Our Parish Respect Life Committee participates in a prayer vigil at the abortion clinic on Kuser Rd. Stop by and pray any time between 7 and 9 AM on a Saturday!
• March for Life: This important yearly event will be held virtually this year. Check out the news articles on this page for more information.

Our Respect Life meetings have been temporarily suspended because of Covid-19 restrictions. If you would like to join us when virtual meetings are held, contact Dominic Conte and give him your email address to receive the links to the virtual meetings.

 

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Our Respect Life group defends the God-given life and dignity of all human persons from conception until natural death. Our goal is to build a Culture of Life and of Love through

• education,
• outreach, and
• advocacy.

God is calling us to respect life, the gift He has given us all. We must share this message with everyone and let all know that life, being a gift from God, should be cherished and protected at every stage. Those carrying the gift of life need to know that they are not alone and help is available. Join us and learn how to talk with others about sensitive Life Issues and become better at supporting family and friends. Learn to effectively advocate to others in our community for Life from “conception to natural death.” Draw closer, a little at a time, to Our Lord, who is always walking with us.

Being pro-life is not in opposition to science...quite the opposite, in fact!

Medical and technological advancements continue to reaffirm the science behind the pro-life cause—that life begins at fertilization, or day one, when egg meets sperm and a new, unique, human embryo is created.

From the moment of fertilization, our DNA is present, whether it’s 23 pairs of chromosomes or 22.
The unique fingerprint that each of us has, distinguishing us from any other human on the planet, is determined by that DNA at day one! Right from the beginning of life, you are becoming the unique, incredible, unrepeatable person that you are!

For more information on the science of life, see When Is a Baby Human?

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Did you know...

At day 22, the heart of the child in the womb begins to beat with the child's own blood, often a different blood type than the mother's. At week 6, brain waves are detectable, the mouth and lips are present, and fingers are forming. By week 8, every organ is in place, and fingerprints begin to form. The baby in the womb can frown at 9-10 weeks. At week 11, the baby can grasp an object placed in his or her hand, and by week 17, the baby can dream (have REM sleep).

Abortion is a common experience. At current rates, about one in three American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45. Moreover, a broad cross section of U.S. women have abortions: 57% of women having abortions are in their 20s; 60% have one or more children; 86% are unmarried; 57% are economically disadvantaged; 88% live in a metropolitan area; and 78% report a religious affiliation. No racial or ethnic group makes up a majority: 41% are white non-Hispanic, 32% are black non-Hispanic, 20% are Hispanic and 7% are of other racial backgrounds.

It is time to pray, and it is a time to make a difference. The definition of Life, as we know it as Catholic Christians, is being re-written and not for the better. Jesus is calling us all to serve as he did and to respect life at all stages. Our Catholic faith, through the teachings of Jesus Christ, clearly tells us that all life, at every stage, is a gift from God. We must spread this news that life is a gift from God and this gift is to be honored and cherished. This gift is not returnable and does not come with a return receipt.

We must learn and educate ourselves on how to help Our Lady of Sorrows and St Anthony parishioners with respect life issues they themselves are dealing with. Please come join us for our next meeting and let us learn and work together to not only walk our faith but live our faith. Let’s make a difference, especially for those who have no voice and desperately need our help. They must learn that they are not alone.

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Words of Life

Each of us is a "creature" whose origin is the loving gaze of God, who looks upon us "within His very self" and draws us forth from this Love. This is the love that is the very being of God; the love of the Father for the Son, the love of the Son for the Father, the Holy Spirit that is love. This is what being created in the image and likeness of God means: to be drawn forth from love; created for love. Thus, every human life conceived in the womb is conceived with a spark of divinity! No wonder we cherish all life as sacred and worthy of the dignity of the children of God. No wonder we believe that all life conceived in the womb is worth all our effort to protect so that the child may come forth from the Light of God into the light of the world.