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The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
Dear St. Mary Friends,
"That is what the pro-life movement is about. We are not simply anti-abortion as we are so often painted to be. We are pro-life, pro the mystery of life, pro the wonder of life, pro the joy of life. And we are impelled to share this message with everyone. We need to bring the Gospel of Life to the heart of every man and women and to make it penetrate every part of society."
- John Cardinal O’Connor
Today (Friday, January 20) is the Right to Life March in Washington, DC. Why march when Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer? Simply because the court’s ruling has brought out a firestorm of radical abortion laws and protections (with some vitriol) unheard of in most all civil societies.
Connecticut Among the Top 5 Most Radical Pro-Abortion States
According to Catholicvote.org, the State of Connecticut is rated among the top 5 most radical pro-abortion states in the country. “Not only does 67% of the state’s population believe in unlimited abortion access through all nine months of pregnancy, but the state’s legislature also voted in 1990 to protect abortion as a fundamental right under state law. In 2022, the legislature passed a bill adding the “right” to the state’s constitution.
The formerly Catholic northeast “boasts 3 of the top 5 with Massachusetts at 74% and Vermont at 70%. The role that ideology has played in this supersedes all common medical protection and oversight. Connecticut also allows nurses, “midwives,” and physician’s assistants to perform abortions.”
Given the radical nature of the times, attacks on churches and pro-life centers, and the lack of clear thinking in general, let’s clear up some of the more hallucinogenic myths about the Church and abortion. Most importantly, I invite any woman wrestling with pregnancy concerns or a past abortion to come to talk and pray.
Some Myths about Catholic Teaching on Life
The Catholic Church is fixated on sex. Oh really? Look around. Who’s really fixated? Movies, music, fashion, corporations, schools, libraries, pornographers, etc. “Sex sells.” The Church is responding to this destructive reality in our fallen world with the healing divine vision of marriage and human sexuality. And this is seen as rigid and guilt producing. Well, there is such a thing as good guilt leading to healing, particularly when natural and divine law are transgressed.
Catholics only care about fetuses, not mothers and women. As in so many accusations, the opposite is true. What rational human being thinks that you can’t do both? And the Church does just that, more than any other private group. Mothers and babies should not be pitted against each other as adversaries. Abortion on demand demeans motherhood by considering it an obstacle to a woman realizing her full potential and too often treating pregnancy as a disease.
The Church is trying to force its viewpoint on the country. The Church proposes and doesn’t impose in the social and political arena. Politics used to be the practice of persuading people to the rightness of a law or regulation, and we Catholic citizens are part of that process. Sadly now, in the area of abortion and sexuality, there can be no discussion. There's simply individual desire tied to brute social and political force.
The Lord, himself, said some evil can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. Let’s take his diagnosis to heart and join together in this battle.
Blessings,
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