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Keeping Focus in the Post-Roe Era

June 30, 2022 4 min read
The Washington Monument

Essentially all members of a free, democratic society agree on two principles. First, an individual’s freedom to arrange his or her life is a good thing, and we want to maximize that freedom. Second, it is possible for the free choices a person makes to get in the way of other peoples’ freedom, and in these cases, reasonable mitigations are needed. Take, for instance, examples as basic as the expectation that others wear headphones when listening to music on planes or wear shirts and shoes in restaurants. While these are simple examples, we recognize the existence of a wide range of mitigating factors in the expression of freedom.

Is abortion a situation in which there is a mitigating factor?

As members of a free society who accept that the killing of innocent persons is to be prohibited, the argument against abortion is that it does precisely that. In fact, science has demonstrated that a new, unique human genetic code exists almost immediately after sperm meets egg, setting a new organism off on a predictable path of development. It is difficult to argue that a unique human being has not come into existence at this point, but instead comes into being at some later moment in the process of development. (After all, the process of development itself serves as a reminder that we are dealing with a human organism rather than a “lump of tissue” or a “clump of cells.”)

With that, then, serious-minded abortion advocates have little choice but to construct a framework in which personhood and rights arise from something other than the fact that one is a human being. Not only are these frameworks dubious and abstract, but they often lead to unwanted conclusions, denying a variety of individuals basic human rights (ranging from infants to the mentally disabled). These frameworks also tend to beg the question of why moments like birth or other predictable milestones in the development of rational capacities are better for establishing rights than is the first moment of human life.

If we want to approach the abortion question from a serious standpoint of human dignity and rights, we must take seriously what science indicates about the beginning of human life.

For those with questions about pro-life arguments (especially in the face of the many pro-abortion objections, concerns, and even misinformation spreading online), trustworthy sources exist. In addition to these resources offered by Catholic Answers, groups ranging from the Ethics and Public Policy Center and National Catholic Bioethics Center offer trustworthy, insightful guides.

For those wondering about the state of the pro-life cause today, George Weigel offers his reflections.


Many pro-abortion arguments are founded on the modern secular vision’s concepts of personal identity, liberty, and human nature, dating back to the sexual liberation movement. Explore this movement’s vision of the human person and human sexuality, explained in 10 steps.

Fr. Billy Swan argues that many of our problems arise from a misunderstanding of intimacy and a fear of vulnerability: Will intimacy destroy my independence? What if I am rejected? Oftentimes, these misunderstandings and fears lead to intimacy being reduced to sexual encounters. The Sacred Heart of Jesus offers us a clear vision of what intimacy is and where we can find it.


As we enter the post-Roe era, it is important to remember the many women who chose abortion who now live with regret and loss, considering how we can offer them care and assistance as they come to a greater realization of what abortion entails. A Catholic writer reflects on the joy she felt in hearing that Roe v. Wade had been overturned – as well as the tears she shed for the unborn child she aborted over 30 years ago.


Pope Francis released an apostolic letter on the liturgy, entitled Desiderio Desideravi, on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. As Catholics explore the document, Fr. Raymond de Souza offers initial impressions and points to how it complements Pope St. John Paul II’s final encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, and Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est.

On the same day, Pope Francis announced the founding of the Osservatore di Strada (Observer of the Street), a monthly magazine to be published by the Vatican’s daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. This monthly publication will be available both in print and online, focusing on the art, stories, and opinions of those who are often overlooked or ignored. The poor will be given a chance to contribute with the help of experts.


 

In Nicaragua, the Church continues to face persecution. The Church in Nicaragua has been the target of nearly 200 attacks in the past four years, and the auxiliary bishop of Managua currently lives in exile at the request of Pope Francis due to repeated death threats. An official legislative act shutting down 101 nongovernmental organizations in the country, including St. Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity, is expected to be approved in the coming days.

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