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Catholics have been at the forefront of the war against abortion for almost 50 years. But the bishops have been largely ineffectual. Church Militant’s Kristine Christlieb tells us about a new pro-life statement that really just promotes “social justice.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is claiming, in a statement released Tuesday, to “stand with moms in need.” But it’s little more than a continuation of the bishops’ effort to emphasize leftist social justice issues instead of ending abortion.
The letter pledges bishops will “join together in prayer and expectant hope that states will again be able to protect women and children from the injustice of abortion.” It makes only one passing mention of advocating for “laws that ensure the right to life for unborn children,” but it goes on to call for laws ensuring “no mother or family lacks the basic resources needed to care for their children, regardless of race, age, immigration status or any other factor.”
Molly Smith, president, Cleveland Right to Life: “They don’t get involved with anything that we do that is meaningful; they don’t get involved with true pro-life efforts. We have efforts here that we say, ‘Pro-life begins at conception.’ If we put that kind of language in and we ask for support from the diocese, many times we don’t get it.”
At the USCCB’s 2019 fall meeting, leftists Cdl. Blase Cupich and Bp. Robert McElroy opposed efforts to declare abortion a preeminent issue for Catholic voters.
Smith: “When we move away from focusing on the full pro-life message, then we get the breakdown of the messaging — the breakdown of the impact the diocese has.”
In nearly 50 years, it has largely been the laity who have done the heavy lifting in promoting pro-life legislation. Many bishops, however, have been busy cozying up to abortion activists.
The Supreme Court is expected to render around June its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. That case, involving a state pro-life law in Mississippi, could be the key to overturning Roe v. Wade.