Today marks the first anniversary of the fall of Roe v. Wade, the infamous 1973 Supreme Court Decision which made it illegal for states to make abortion illegal before 24 weeks gestation. It was, and is, a victory, but the battle for life continues, now state by state, as some make abortion legal through all of pregnancy, such as New York, as it is in Canada while a number of states, such as Alabama, Texas, Arizona and about 24 in total, have made all, or almost all, abortions effectively illegal. So American is about evenly divided. An article this morning in Crisis says that the work must continue outside the courts, in work supporting mothers and families, including single mums (even if we don’t want to go so far as to make the need for fathers redundant, and have the state or even private charities replace the provider role).
Even more: We need to dig deep, and strive for virtue in each of our own hearts. As Pope John Paul II taught in Evangelium Vitae, the two principal causes of abortion are the contraceptive mentality and the trivialization of sexuality, which go together. We need the whole ‘Gospel of Life’, grace and charity, to win the fight for life, to witness to the truth, even to the point of martyrdom.
Fitting on this Solemnity of Saint John the Baptist, and may he pray and intercede for us, for mothers and for children. +