When the Supreme Court of the United States recently overturned Roe v. Wade, the decision caused tension and anger and further polarized our people. How might we Dominican Sisters and Associates of Peace respond?
We, Dominican Sisters and Associates, stand up, stand firm, stand bravely for social change to protect ALL life, change which supports women and children and those with least advantage. We stand with the US Bishops who wrote: “May a renewed commitment to life overflow into increased protection of unborn children and expanded support for their mothers and families.” (USCCB, Standing with Moms in Need, March 15, 2022) We also affirm Archbishop Rozanski’s words: “The Catholic Church has always proclaimed that every human being, born and unborn, is endowed by our Creator with the right to be protected and cherished. . . the Church will continue serving those who are most vulnerable and bearing witness to the dignity of every human, regardless of religion, race, age, or any other factor.”
Overturning Roe vs. Wade is not the end of a campaign, but the beginning of a more just and life-centric focus for legislation and efforts for the common good: efforts that will end abortion, reduce poverty, increase gun controls, abolish the death penalty, erase racism, and heal the Earth.
We welcome this opportunity to prioritize a culture of life, where every human person is treated with dignity and enjoys the right to full development. The path to refocusing our national priorities remains uphill and requires a change of heart in all of us. Without a change of heart, a change in the law will accomplish nothing.
The heart of this matter for me is that both political parties currently stand against justice. One party seems to hold no value to the unborn, focusing only on the rights of the pregnant woman. The other party seems to hold no value to the pregnant woman, focusing only on the rights of the unborn to be born, no matter what. The latter has been the consistent position of the official Catholic Church, notorious for centuries for its oppression of women in all arenas of its life, including denying women leadership roles within its own structures, open of course only to men.
We Catholics desperately need a cogent new abortion ethic to heal this issue that is tearing apart both our nation and our Church. That ethic must be built on the inseparability of two sets of simultaneous rights: those of the pregnant woman and those of the fertilized egg. Neither right is absolute; both are essential. Practcally speaking, Roe vs Wade is not so far from the mark, allowing more latitude for the woman to choose in the early months of the pregnancy, and more protection for the fetus as it develops toward viability in the latter months. At no point is any woman required to risk sacrificing her own life for the life of the child. Ultimately, within limited governmental guidelines, these decisions must be left to the pregnant woman and her medical support, not to any governmental entity or court. Recent evidence makes only too clear the severe damage that results when ignorant men, whether leading governmental or religious bodies, believe they have the right to legislate these decisions. I strongly hope that in the name of our pursuit of truth, we Dominicans will support this work to create a viable new ethic of abortion.
Thank you for this statement. Puts things into perspective and helps in discussions toward this very important issue.
While I agree that all life is sacred I must tell the story of a young Vietnamese professional woman I came to know when I was a hospital chaplain in SE Texas. She was in her late 20’s — but when she was 15 she had an abortion — in her culture if her pregnancy was known or if she had the baby she would have been ostracized from her ENTIRE extended family for LIFE — no contact with anyone. She would have died in a back alley abortion — which will now happen to many women. It is a VERY difficult situation to say the least.
Yes to ALL life, Yes to a more just and life-centric focus, and yes, to the uphill path, but we are not alone in this journey.
God is with us as make these efforts. God bless your work, Sisters.
Unless everyone who wants Roe vs Wade abolished is personally helping poor people with funds, babysitting, food, shelter, and jobs that do not require the bread winner to work two jobs in an effort to make financial ends meet, think twice about what you stand for.
Some states want to criminalize women who have had natural abortions. God is our judge.
Very well said!
Thank you for expressing in the name of our congregation a very cogent and heartfelt support for all life, born and unborn, elderly and handicapped, poor and those disadvantaged in any way.
In this time of conflict over Roe and Casey, we affirm and support both mother and child with the love that comes from God for every one of us.
I would somehow have to acknowledge that the personhood of every woman is denied by this Supreme Court ruling. It ignores the child bearer and her well-being. This, for me,
negates the ruling itself as incompetent in its messaging.
Loved the attention you brought to all life.
Trying to stop abortion in the unjust, cruel manners being legalized now is to condemn life and ignore the whole persons as well as the situations which brought about the need.
Well said! Thanks for speaking up on our behalf.
. . . At the same time that the US Supreme Court is making decisions that
1. contribute to the proliferation of guns (e.g., ruling against restrictions in NYC laws) ; and
2. make it more difficult to regulate carbon producing by burning fossil fuels (e.g., new restrictions on the EPA).
We have a long journey ahead of us, to protect ALL life.