The U.S. Catholic bishops are urging voters to reject proposed amendments to state constitutions that would enshrine abortion-on-demand up to birth.
In a Nov. 4 letter to Catholics, Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge, chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, notes that ten states have abortion amendments on the ballot for Tuesday “that would establish powerful and devastating new rights to abortion.”
The amendments, which would mostly guarantee the right to procure an abortion at any time during pregnancy, have been proposed in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota, Bishop Burbidge writes.
If you are eligible to vote in these states, “please take time to learn about the threats of these often-deceptive proposals,” he exhorts, and “vote to protect life.”
In October, the bishops launched a special week of prayer to end abortion, while also reminding Catholic voters that abortion should be the “pre-eminent priority” when casting one’s ballot.
The intention of the bishops’ novena (nine days of prayer) was the protection of human life from conception to natural death. “May every child in his or her mother’s womb be protected in law and welcomed in love,” one of the daily prayers read.
“Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Mother and, like each one of us, grew and developed as a preborn child beneath the shelter of His mother’s heart,” the reflection stated. “This simultaneously reveals the undeniable humanity of preborn children and the intrinsic value of all human life.”
“Abortion tragically rejects these truths, ending the life of a child and harming those involved in a variety of ways,” the text continues.
Following Jesus “means caring for and protecting those who are most vulnerable and helping others to do the same,” it noted. “May each of us work to ensure life is protected and cherished in our laws and in our hearts.”
In his statement announcing “Respect Life Month,” Bishop Burbidge observed that “fifty years of virtually unlimited abortion has tragically created a national mindset where many Americans have become comfortable with some amount of abortion.”
“This allows the abortion industry to continue to provide any amount of abortion,” he added.
Given this challenge, the U.S. bishops have affirmed that “abortion remains our pre-eminent priority as it directly attacks our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, destroying more than a million lives each year in our country alone,” he wrote, citing the bishops’ guide for Catholic voters.
The Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz celebrates abortion as a fundamental right and has made the expansion of abortion in the United States the central plank of their campaign platform.
In its official policy page, the Harris/ Walz campaign reaffirms its commitment to eliminate pro-life state laws in favor of abortion on demand across the United States. Harris has pledged to sign legislation enshrining a federal right to abortion, should she be elected.
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