On January 23, 1973, the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion in the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision.
As we mark the 39th anniversary of that sad decision, many people have been praying and working to give all babies a chance to live. We know that we have to change minds and especially hearts on this issue.
On Independence Day we celebrate the anniversary of the day that the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We also express our admiration and gratitude for the brave men who risked their lives and fortunes to sign this great document.
Bishop Paul Swain once wrote that in his judgment the most famous words related to the Declaration of Independence are, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.”
The Pledge of Allegiance reinforces the Declaration’s statement that God is the source of our nation’s independence. In 1952, the Knights of Columbus urged Congress to introduce a resolution to add “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. The resolution was introduced by Congressman Louis C. Rabaut of Michigan and adopted by both Houses of Congress. It was signed by President Eisenhower on Flag Day, June 14, 1954.
To the editor:
I applaud Bill Dagnon for his well-researched and well-written letter that appeared recently (Catholic Herald, April 28). It is not a coincidence that stagnating wages for lower and middle-class Americans parallels the decline of the labor movement over the last 30 or 40 years. The reasons for the decline are varied, but, to put it simply, due to steady erosion of U.S. labor laws, it is now easier to “bust” a union than it is to form one.
To the editor: […]
To the editor:
According to the contents of Roe vs. Wade, all unborn babies are not human, not persons. They are eligible for execution. They are inhuman like animals.
Before President Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation, the U.S. government regarded all African Americans as not humans, not persons. They were like animals and therefore eligible for slavery.
To the editor:
In 1983, on the 10th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton Supreme Court decisions legalizing abortion-on-demand in this country, President Ronald Reagan wrote an article for the magazine Human Life Review titled “Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation.” I would like to share the last paragraph of this fine article on this the 38th anniversary of Roe and Bolton.
“Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be free and should therefore be slaves. Likewise, we cannot survive as a free nation when some men decide that others are not fit to live and should be abandoned to abortion or infanticide . . . there is no cause more important for preserving that freedom than affirming the transcendent right to life of all human beings, the right without which no other rights have any meaning.”
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 probably leave her. He would stay with her if she aborted their baby.
On March 4, 1926, Dorothy gave birth to Tamar Teresa. She had her baptized and raised her as a Catholic. Later, Dorothy Day became a Catholic. Her decision caused her to lose the man she loved. But she gained salvation for herself and Tamara.
To the editor:
In the Declaration of Independence, it states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
In the 14th amendment it states: “nor shall any State deprive any person of life . . . nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Mother Teresa has been quoted as saying, “I do not pray for success; I pray for faithfulness.” Many people in the pro-life movement haven’t seen much success in the past 37 years, but they have continued to be faithful in fighting for the lives of unborn babies.
The January 22, 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade which legalized abortion set in motion a fierce debate in this country. The court decision has not been overturned, but there are signs of hope as we begin the year 2010.
To the editor:
The anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision is approaching. How many Christians realize that the Roe vs. Wade decision in content was a similar and related version of the Dred Scott decision? The Dred Scott decision maintained that members of the “Negroid Race” were no longer human.
The Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973 maintained that the unborn babies of all races suddenly were no longer human. But years after the Dred Scott decision, it was maintained that members of the “Negroid Race” are human.
