After the U.S. Supreme Court announced an opinion Friday in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case that overturns Roe v. Wade, some Catholic groups have voiced support for the decision.
However, Pope Francis – the head of the Roman Catholic Church – has not yet directly addressed the opinion, according to reports. He did urge families not to make “selfish” decisions Saturday during a Vatican rally without referring to the ruling, said the Associated Press.
Francis “used the buzzwords he has throughout his papacy about the need to defend families and to condemn a ‘culture of waste’ that he believes is behind the societal acceptance of abortion,” said the outlet. He also called on couples not to let things “thwart the desire to bring new lives in the world.”
“Being for life, always, means asking how to help women welcome new life,” said a report from Vatican News which stressed than 75% of abortions in the U.S. are sought by women who are in poverty or who earn low wages.
“Being for life, always, also means defending it against the threat of firearms, which unfortunately have become a leading cause of death of children and adolescents in the U.S.,” said the website, which is provided by the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication.
Other Catholic groups have explicitly praised the Supreme Court’s decision, which walks back decades of national abortion protections and leaves legislation in the hands of states.
“This is a historic day in the life of our country, one that stirs our thoughts, emotions and prayers,” said Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities in a statement. “For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn children, generations that were denied the right to even be born.”
“As Catholics, we have prayed and fasted, held vigils, offered Masses, and peacefully witnessed in these last five decades,” said a statement from the Archdiocese of New York. “We have joined others in educating schoolchildren, opening pregnancy care centers, walking with mothers, offering post-abortion counseling, and marching, year after year, to the United States Supreme Court to witness for life. Today, our voice has been heard.”
Around one in 10 American Catholics surveyed by the Pew Research Center earlier this year said they believe all abortions should be banned. Some Catholics, including the group Catholics for Choice have criticized the Supreme court’s decision.
“The ruling from the majority-Catholic Court sends the abortion issue back to the states, 26 of which have laws that could be used to restrict or end access to abortion, including 13 with so-called ‘trigger laws’ that ban all or nearly all abortions now that Roe has been struck down,” said a statement from the group.
Catholics for Choice President Jamie L. Manson said the “unconscionable Supreme Court decision to end the constitutional right to abortion is the culmination of a decades-long religious crusade – spearheaded by the U.S.
Catholic bishops – to take away a woman’s most fundamental freedoms, namely her ability to control her own fertility and determine her own destiny.”
Missouri is one of the 13 states that have activated a “trigger law,” and, according to an Archdiocese of St. Louis publication, abortions were effectively banned in the state as of Friday.
“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,” St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski said in a statement.
“Therefore, just as before today’s Supreme Court decision to overturn [Roe v. Wade], 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.”
In “being for life,” Vatican News said Catholics should be concerned about maternal mortality as well as “vulnerable” unborn lives. The publication said the Vatican hopes “that the debate on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling will not be reduced to an ideological confrontation, but will prompt all of us – on both sides of the ocean – to reflect on what it means to welcome life, to defend it, and to promote it with appropriate legislation.”
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