#611 - Peace & Life: Unhealthy Dobbs Reactions - May 13, 2022
Unhealthy Reaction #1: When Anti-War Doesn’t Mean Anti-Violence
Win Without War has a petition for the U.S. Congress to codify Roe v. Wade. Bizarrely, the petition states “Today, a clear majority of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Those voices will be silenced if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.” How returning abortion policy to elected representatives would silence people who can influence those representatives, they didn’t clarify.
This ignores violence inflicted on unborn children, is oblivious to the harm abortion does to women, and turns off millions of people who care about stopping violence and could otherwise be reached with an anti-war message.
If you wish to have a word with them about this, use this email address: info@winwithoutwar.org.
Note: This group isn’t to be confused with World Beyond War, which has had tables and done presentations for consistent-life events.
Unhealthy Reaction #2: Progressive Catholics
Call to Action has abortion-defending Catholics, but has also been fine with us having tables at their conferences, where we find many sympathizers. They’ve put out a statement condemning Roe’s overturn, which includes: “We acknowledge that this statement may startle our members and supporters. However, we can no longer pretend that the politicization of abortion – and its separation from all issues related to healthcare and a consistent ethic of life – doesn’t have damaging effects on our communities.”
Abortion is of course not separate from the consistent life ethic. Opposition to abortion is necessary to the ethic by definition.
If you wish to have a word with them about this – be you a progressive Catholic, an atheist, or all else, use this email address: cta@cta-usa.org
Webinar: A Post-Roe World
Sponsored by Notre Dame on May 10, see the 52-minute recording.
Around the Web
∞ This video - is a powerful recent speech in the Connecticut House of Representatives by Representative Treneé McGee (D).
∞ Huffpost has an article bringing up again the case of political prisoner Leonard Peltier, a consistent life endorser.
∞ The Washington Post has a piece on Karen Swallow Prior, another consistent life endorser, showcasing her consistency.
Blog Post
Being a network of organizations, our natural inclination in thinking about the upcoming Dobbs v. Jackson decision is to offer a variety of insights from our member groups and others of interest: Reflections on the Alito Draft Leak of May 2, 2022
Quotation of the Week
Tish Harrison Warren
The New York Times, May 10, 2022
Most people I talked to expressed cautious optimism and hope but also concern . . . because those who take a holistic approach to reducing abortion feel that legally restricting abortion, while a win for justice and the voiceless and vulnerable, is not alone enough to create a culture that is holistically pro-life and addresses the needs of both women and unborn children.
The sense I got is that, for many pro-life and whole-life leaders, this Supreme Court decision would represent a starting line, not a finish line. There are no credits rolling with a victorious pro-life movement marching into the sunset. One activist told me, “I feel joy and relief, but it is kind of like the joy and relief one feels in getting into college, being cast in the school play or making the varsity team. The conditions for the possibility of achieving the goal have been met, but there’s so much more hard work to do.”
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