This Monday, January 23, we note that it has been fifty years since the infamous Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, that legalized the “right” to abortion in the United States. For over five decades, countless Catholics and others who value all human life, especially the life of the unborn and the most vulnerable, prayed and protested and fought to have that ill-decided Supreme Court decision overturned. The efforts over those years were not without fruit, for the Supreme Court, in its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, issued on June 24 of last year, overturned Roe v. Wade and in so doing, declared that the Constitution does not provide for any right to abortion and that the question of the legality of abortion belongs properly, under the dictates of the tenth amendment to the Constitution, to the states to decide.
The Dobbs decision, while a step in the right direction, does not in any way prohibit abortion. The question of whether abortion is legal or not is now left to the states, many of which have taken steps to severely curtail or outlaw abortion. Other states, including Connecticut, are seeking to enshrine the “right” to abortion in their state constitutions. The battle is not yet over and there is much work to be done.
The teaching of the Church has been consistent from ancient times. Direct abortion, the deliberate killing of a fetus, is a grave sin, a crime against the law of God. There are no exceptions to this proscription on abortion, even in cases of rape or where the life of the mother is in danger. A child conceived by rape is not in any way responsible for the circumstances of conception. It is unjust to terminate the child’s life, even if the circumstances are tragic. In the case of where the life of the mother is in danger, it is never acceptable to terminate the life of the fetus directly so as to save the life of the mother. Every effort must be made to save both lives, but if the fetus or the mother dies, it is a regrettable reality. The story of St. Gianna Molla, who died in 1962 rather than terminate her pregnancy due to health concerns, stands as a model for us all.
I am saddened to announce that on January 3, Pat Piroh, an employee of our parish for the past ten years, died unexpectedly. Some of you may know her from her work as evening receptionist in the parish office. She was buried from St. Mary’s Church on Thursday, January 12. We will miss her. May she rest in peace. As of this writing, the parish office will be open from Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. After hours, please call and leave a message or contact the parish secretary, Danielle Hogan, via email through the parish website. We will evaluate staffing needs regarding evening or weekend office hours as we go forward.
Have a good week!