 |
|
In his visit to the United States, Pope Francis especially praised two Catholics. They were Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day.
In 1925, Dorothy Day became pregnant. Because of a previous abortion, her pregnancy seemed a miracle. Now she had to make the toughest decision she ever made. If she gave birth, Forster Batterham, the child’s father, would leave her. He would stay with her if she aborted their baby.
On March 4, 1926, Dorothy gave birth to Tamar Teresa. She had Tamar baptized and raised her as a Catholic. Later Dorothy became a Catholic. Her decisions caused her to lose the man she thought she loved. But she gained salvation for herself and Tamar.
After her conversion, Dorothy married Peter Maurin. Together, they founded the Catholic Worker movement which works on behalf of the poor and homeless. She became a zealous Catholic. For the rest of her life, she regretted the abortion of her first baby. She pleaded with others not to have abortions because of its devastating effects, which she personally experienced.
It’s normal for a woman to grieve a pregnancy loss by abortion or miscarriage. Aborting a baby can form a hole so deep in her heart that sometimes it seems nothing can fill the emptiness. It can also affect fathers of children lost to abortion, grandparents, other relatives, health care providers, and many others.
Secular humanIsm helps to create a climate that makes abortion more acceptable as evidenced by the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. On January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion in the Roe v. Wade decision.
Justice Byron White, who dissented, stated, “The court apparently values the convenience of a pregnant mother more than the continued existence and development of the life or potential life she carries.”
What we can do
We can help the pro-life cause in many ways as Pope Francis urges. We can participate in the 40-day Pro-Life Vigil in Madison, which consists of 40 days of prayer, fasting, and witness by volunteer pro-lifers.
We can pray for or spiritually adopt unborn babies. We can cooperate with others who oppose abortion and urge our elected representatives to support legislation that protects the unborn and support a human life amendment. We can donate to pro-life causes.
We can tell women, and men, who grieve from an abortion about Project Rachel.
Project Rachel is a post-abortion healing ministry. It was founded in 1984 in the Milwaukee Archdiocese by Vicki Thorn. Project Rachel’s mission is to provide a confidential and compassionate ministry that offers resources for spiritual, emotional, and psychological healing to anyone who has been impacted by abortion regardless of faith background.
As Catholics we must respect life, not only in the womb, but everywhere, within our families, our communities, and where we work or do business.
This means treating every life with dignity and honoring every life as God’s gift. We Catholics should faithfully involve ourselves as advocates for the weak and marginalized. Catholic public officials are obliged to address each of the issues the American bishops listed in Living the Gospel of Life, as they seek to build consistent policies which promote respect for human persons at all stages of life.
Fr. Donald Lange is a pastor emeritus in the Diocese of Madison.