FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leslie Palma - 917-697-7039
TITUSVILLE, FL - “This is big,” said Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, in regard to the Supreme Court’s decision to accept the abortion case Dobbs vs. Jackson’s Women’s Health.
The court has agreed to examine “whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional.”
Father Pavone commented, “This is not a case simply on regulations of the procedure or the places where it is performed. This goes right to the matter of prohibitions on abortion, or as we would say, protections of the baby.
“There has been a tension for a long time between the law and the jurisprudence in this area. More and more states, including Mississippi, have been passing laws to protect babies before viability (approximately 22 weeks). And the courts have insisted that the states do have an interest in the life of the child throughout pregnancy. Yet the courts continue to strike down laws that protect babies before viability as unconstitutional. Now, that tension has to give. If the states have an interest in the child’s life and want to protect the child, then why not?”
Father Pavone also pointed out, “If you study the history of Roe v. Wade, in books like Abuse of Discretion by Clarke Forsythe, you will see how arbitrary it was that viability, as a boundary line for when the state can start protecting unborn babies, was introduced into Roe v. Wade. It was not in the lower court cases coming out of Texas or Georgia, it was not in the oral arguments, and it was not in any of the briefs. It was inserted rather superficially and arbitrarily just before the decision was issued. In doing so, the Supreme Court ignored the science involved and most certainly the morality.
“Meanwhile, the American people have never agreed that late-term abortions should be permitted. Now we can actually take a strong step forward to shape the law in accordance with those convictions.”
Priests for Life will be leading a prayer campaign for this case and various educational events surrounding it. Look for our commentary in the weeks to come. This will also be part of the overall effort to educate people as we approach the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade in 2023. See RoevWade50th.com for more info.
Priests for Life (EndAbortion.US) is the world’s largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated exclusively to ending abortion.