One of my favorite passages in the New Testament is the one which narrates that a group of parents with their little children came to see Jesus in order that he might bless the children. The disciples were reluctant to let them near the Lord because they thought he was tired. But Jesus unhesitatingly said: “Let the children come to me.” And then, in the words of the evangelist, “Jesus embraced them and blessed them.” This is what we would expect would be the action of our Lord. He loved children.
So it is with sadness that I read from time to time the words of abortion promoters who claim that their actions are done for a religious motive. For example, in December a group of members of the “Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice” met in Washington D.C., to protest the Stupak Amendment to the Health Care Bill of the House of Representatives. This amendment was intended to prevent the use of federal funds for abortions. At the rally of the coalition, its president, Rev. Carlton Veazy, a Baptist minister, told the assembly: “Don’t let anybody tell you that religious people don’t support choice. You not only have a constitutional right for abortion but you have a God-given right.” In other words he was claiming that killing an unborn child was not only a legal right (granted by Roe vs. Wade) but also a right under natural law (granted by God). I cannot believe that people would be willing to accept such a claim, so contrary to the true understanding of natural law, so contrary to the Scriptures which speak of God as the God of life, not death.
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice was founded in 1973 to protect Roe vs. Wade. It has been and still is the primary organization for pro-choice clergy of main stream religions. The coalition even offers sample prayers and sermons, philosophical and theological arguments, speeches, etc. on their Web pages to help people defend a pro-choice position in the name of religion. And the coalition works hand in hand with abortion supporting groups such as Planned Parenthood.
Even more disturbing to me was the appearance of Representative Rosa DeLauro from California at the coalition rally. DeLauro is a Catholic who attended both a Catholic high school and college. But as a political leader she early supported pro-choice positions, even serving as executive director at one time of “Emily’s List,” the organization dedicated to recruiting pro-choice women for political offices. She called the Stupak Amendment a “stain” and told the participants: “Those who voted for Stupak should feel your wrath.” And then she went after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who strongly and publicly supported the amendment. DeLauro hinted that their position might jeopardize their tax-exempt status and that they were wrong for trying to hold health-care reform “hostage to the abortion issue.”
Rev. Veazy too went after the Catholic bishops. “We are also here to call out the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,” he said. “No one religion should get the kind of weight they can to put pressure on Congress. We in the religious community resent that.” He asserted that the Stupak Amendment would not pass. It did, of course (although it has not been included in the Senate version of the Health Care Bill).
Pro-choice Catholics often argue that their position is in keeping with the Catholic tradition. They say that it protects conscience, which is the final authority for right and wrong; that it provides better options for women and protection against back-alley procedures; that it is a matter of justice, which the church so strongly promotes. But in all the arguments the one fact is ignored: the baby in the womb is a person and the imperative of the Scriptures and the Christian tradition is to protect a child, not kill him or her. It is sad to see religious leaders, including Catholic, who should be in the forefront of protecting unborn children, in the forefront of disposing of them — in the name of religion.
Father John Leies, SM, STD, is president emeritus of St. Mary’s University and was formerly head of the Theology Department there.