40 Y EARS OF
R OE V W ADE
40 Days of Prayer &
Reflection
D EC . 12 — J AN . 22
B ISHOPS ’ P ASTORAL P LAN FOR P RO L IFE A CTIVITIES
40 Y EARS OF R OE V W ADE
40 Days of Prayer & Reflection
Day 1, December 12
What is Roe v. Wade?
It is the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion
nationwide. A woman who said she was pregnant from rape and
wanted an abortion (“Jane Roe” in court documents) sued a Texas
district attorney (Henry Wade) to prevent him from enforcing a
Texas law banning abortion except to save the mother’s life. On
January 22, 1973, the Court decided this case, and a similar case
(Doe v. Bolton) in which a woman denied an abortion by a hospital
review committee (“Mary Doe” in court documents) had challenged
Georgia’s law. The Court struck down both laws, with the effect of
striking down similar laws in all the other states as well. Jane Roe
(whose real name is Norma McCorvey) later admitted having lied
about the rape. Horrified at these decisions’ impact, both she and
Mary Doe (whose real name is Sandra Cano) are now among those
urging their reversal.
Prayer intention for today:
For all elected officials: that they support laws and policies that
respect the life, liberty and fundamental rights of all people; Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 2, December 13
What did Roe v. Wade do?
It said the right of privacy (not mentioned in the text of the
Constitution) “is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision
whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” The Justices ruled
that a state may not restrict abortion at all in the first three
months of pregnancy (first trimester). It may establish guidelines
only to protect the mother’s health during the next three months
(second trimester). After “viability,” when the unborn child could
survive if delivered (which the Court placed at 24 to 28 weeks of
gestation), the state may prohibit abortion unless it is deemed
necessary to preserve the mother’s “life or health.”
Prayer intention for today:
For the poor, that their physical and spiritual needs will be abundantly met in ways that reflect their inherent dignity; Our Father,
Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 3, December14
So Roe allows states to prohibit abortion after viability?
Well, no. In the companion case Doe v. Bolton, which the
Court said must be read together with Roe, “health” was defined
in the abortion context to include “all factors—physical, emotional,
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____________________
Sources:
Roe Facts - www.secondlookproject.org,
www.usccb.org/prolife
Post-abortion testimonies: www.hopeafterabortion.org
ProLife feminist quotes: www.feministsforlife.org
psychological, familial, and the woman’s age—relevant to the well
-being of the patient.” By this definition, abortion must be allowed in the ninth month if the abortionist says it is needed to
serve a woman’s emotional well-being. Thus all meaningful limits
on abortion throughout the nine months of pregnancy were discarded.
Prayer intention for today:
For all educators: that they lead others to the truth and love that
can only be found in the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ the
King; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 4, December 15
Did the court find that life doesn’t begin until birth?
No. It argued that uses of the word “person” in the Constitution do not seem to include the unborn. Then, citing wide disagreement as to when human life begins, the Court said it “need
not resolve” this difficult question. Instead of considering the scientific evidence that life begins at conception, or even allowing
legislatures to protect those who have never been proven to be
anything but human beings, the Court decided to treat unborn
children merely as “potential life”—and to prevent the people or
their elected representatives from determining otherwise.
Prayer intention for today:
For all married couples: that they may express ever more fully the
generous love of God, especially by joyfully accepting the great
blessing of children; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
B ISHOPS ’ P ASTORAL P LAN
P RO L IFE A CTIVITIES
FOR
215 Centennial Mall South Suite 310
Lincoln, NE 68058
402-477-7517
http://nebcathcon.org * [email protected]
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Day 5, December 16
Wasn’t the court only continuing a trend toward “liberalizing”
abortion laws begun by the people and their elected representatives?
No. In the years leading up to Roe, proposals to weaken laws
against abortion were introduced in most states but usually not
enacted. Some states did add narrow exceptions to their laws,
and a few legalized abortion for any reason, generally up to 20
weeks’ gestation. But then the trend reversed. New York’s legislature voted to restore legal protection to unborn children (a move
blocked by the governor’s veto). And in 1972 the people of Michigan and North Dakota overwhelmingly voted to reject proposals
to loosen their abortion laws. After studying public opinion
against legalized abortion, demographer Judith Blake concluded
that a Supreme Court decision striking down state laws would be
“the only road to rapid change.” Roe created a national policy
more extreme than the law of any state, and it disrupted the democratic process by which the American people had begun to
deal with the conflicting claims of the abortion debate.
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Prayer intention for today:
For the people of the world; that this Year of Faith may awaken
hearts to the truth and beauty of every human life; Our Father,
Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 6, December 17
In the past three decades, haven’t people come to accept the
policy of Roe v. Wade?
No. Public opposition to legalized abortion remains strong.
The vast majority of Americans oppose the policy of unlimited
abortion set down in Roe, and most believe abortion should not be
legal for the reasons it is most often performed. In Zogby International’s April 2004 poll, 56 percent would ban all abortions or allow them only in cases of rape or incest or danger to the mother’s
life; these cases make up a tiny percentage of legal abortions. In
fact, only 13 percent in this same poll agreed abortion should be
legal for any reason at any time during a woman’s pregnancy.
Prayer intention for today:
For all those who labor: that their work may be at the service of
human dignity and bear witness to the sanctity of life; Our Father,
Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 7, December 18
Do all legal experts approve of Roe?
No. Roe has been criticized by several Supreme Court justices,
and even by legal experts who favor legalized abortion. Justice
Byron White called it “an exercise of raw judicial power.” Yale law
professor John Hart Ely has said that Roe is “a very bad decision.
. . . It is bad because it is bad constitutional law, or rather because it is not constitutional law and gives almost no sense of an
obligation to try to be.” Edward Lazarus, former clerk to Justice
Harry Blackmun who wrote the Roe opinion, says that “Roe, as
constitutional interpretation, is virtually impossible to defend.”
Prayer intention for today:
For those who are blind to the inherent dignity of every human
being: that the Lord may enlighten their minds and hearts to recognize the God-given worth of every person; Our Father, Hail Mary,
Glory Be.....
Day 8, December 19
Has the supreme court spoken more recently about the validity of its decision in Roe?
In 1992, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Court abandoned Roe’s trimester framework, but reaffirmed Roe’s holding
that no abortion could be banned before viability. Three Justices
said they were doing this not so much because the original case
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Day 38, January 20
In the biblical narrative, the difference between man and other
creatures is shown above all by the fact that only the creation
of man is presented as the result of a special decision on the
part of God, a deliberation to establish a particular and specific
bond with the Creator: "Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness" (Gen 1:26). The life which God offers to man is a
gift by which God shares something of himself with his creature.
--Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, #34
Prayer intention for today:
For couples struggling with infertility: that the Lord will bless
them with children, whether by natural means or adoption;
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 39, January 21
"Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my
mother's womb. I give thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully
made; wonderful are your works."
--Psalm139; 13-14
Prayer intention for today:
For the world: that all people may know the dignity of the human person, wonderfully made by God our Father and destined
for eternal life with Him; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 40, January 22
“…So long as we have the gift of life we must protect the gift of
life. So long as it is threatened, so long must it be defended.
This is the time to brace ourselves for the long term. We are
today laying the foundations for the prolife movement of the
twenty-first century. Pray that the foundations are firm, for we
have not yet seen the full fury of the storm that is upon us.
But we have not the right to despair. We have not the right and
we have not the reason to despair if we understand that our
entire struggle is premised not upon a victory to be achieved
but a victory that has been achieved. If we understand that, far
from despair we have right and reason to rejoice that we are
called to such a time as this, a time of testing, a time of truth.
The encroaching culture of death shall not prevail, for we know,
as we read in John’s Gospel, ‘The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.’ The darkness will never
overcome that light.”--Rev. Richard John Neuhaus
Prayer intention for today:
For Catholics in political life: that a right understanding of our
faith will inform their policy decisions, especially decisions involving the lives of vulnerable human beings; Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory Be.....
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Day 35, January 17
“Human development begins at fertilization, the process during
which a male…sperm unites with a female [egg] to form a single cell called a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell
marked the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.”
“A zygote is the beginning of a new human being.”
--Moore & Persaud, The Developing Human:
Clinically Oriented Embryology
Prayer intention for today:
That those—whom some may treat as burdens due to age, illness, or poverty—receive the love, respect, and material assistance they need; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 36, January 18
“Although most developmental changes occur during the embryonic and fetal periods, some important changes occur during later periods of development: infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Although it is customary to divide human development into prenatal (before birth) and postnatal
(after birth) periods, birth is merely a dramatic event during
development resulting in a change in environment. Development does not stop at birth.”
--Moore, Keith L.& Persaud, T.V.N. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. 6th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders
Co, 1998.
Prayer intention for today:
That out of love for their children, all Catholic parents will
learn and pass on the teachings of our faith on the sanctity of
life, sexuality, and marriage; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory
Be.....
Day 37, January 19
“Why is life a good? This question is found everywhere in the
Bible, and from the very first pages it receives a powerful and
amazing answer. The life which God gives man is quite different from the life of all other living creatures, inasmuch as
man, although formed from the dust of the earth, is a manifestation of God in the world, a sign of his presence, a trace of his
glory.”
--Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, #34
Prayer intention for today:
For abused and neglected children: that their circumstances
will be known, their safety assured, and their sense of selfworth restored; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
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was rightly decided, but because it had been the law for a long
time and many people had come to rely on the availability of abortion. They said that “a decision to overrule should rest on some
special reason over and above the belief that a prior case was
wrongly decided.” But if one realizes the decision was wrong, it is
doubly wrong to keep imposing it on the country. In his Casey
dissent, Chief Justice William Rehnquist noted that in the previous two decades the Court had “overruled in whole or in part 34 of
its previous constitutional decisions.” Reversal of Roe is long overdue.
Prayer intention for today:
For those who are ridiculed or persecuted for defending life: that
the Lord will give them grace to remain resolute in speaking the
truth in courage and love; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 9, December 20
What is Roe’s impact on society?
Abortions in the U.S. have risen to well over a million a year,
with one-fourth of all pregnancies ending in abortion. Problems
that some claimed Roe would alleviate—“unwanted” children, child
abuse and abandonment, etc.—have worsened. Many women have
been maimed or killed by legal abortion, and abortionists have
been protected from legal scrutiny by courts applying Roe. Many
more women bear heavy emotional scars from abortion, and increasingly they are making their stories public to warn other
women. Far from emancipating women, Roe has helped create the
expectation that women will resort to abortion—to “fit” into college
and the workforce, and to free men from unwanted parental responsibility. It has blocked progress toward a society that welcomes women with their children.
Prayer intention for today:
For all children: that their beauty, joy and innocence may serve
as reminders that they are a precious gift from God; Our Father,
Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 10, December 21
Have courts applied Roe to other issues?
Courts have used Roe to strike down safety regulations protecting women, as well as laws protecting children born alive during abortion attempts. Judges have invoked Roe to argue for a
constitutional right to assisted suicide, to nullify federal regulations protecting handicapped newborns from lethal neglect, and to
demand legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Prayer intention for today:
For our nation: that our elected officials will be firmly committed
to defending all human life, the sanctity of marriage, rights of conscience, & the common good; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be..
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Day 11, December 22
What would happen if Roe were reversed?
Abortion would not automatically become illegal. Rather, the
people and their elected representatives would be allowed to begin
enacting abortion policies that respect the lives of both women
and their unborn children. The move away from the Court’s policy
of virtually unlimited abortion would likely be gradual, leading to
improvements in cultural attitudes toward women and children
and in concrete support for women facing unplanned pregnancies.
Prayer intention for today:
For the leaders of our nation: that they may remember that the
rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness apply to all people, from conception to natural death; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory
Be.....
Day 12, December 23
Would this mean a return to dangerous “back alley” abortions?
No. Claims that thousands of women were dying from illegal
abortions at the time of Roe were fabricated for political purposes,
as a chief strategist later admitted. Due to the development of antibiotics and other medical advances, maternal deaths from all
abortions (legal and illegal) dropped from 1,231 in 1942 to 70 in
1972, the year before Roe. Medicine has made more advances in
the last thirty years, and women can be offered options that are
safer for them and their children than abortion.
Prayer intention for today:
For couples struggling with infertility: that God may bless them
with children through adoption or by curing their infertility
through morally sound treatments; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory
Be.....
Day 13, December 24
Why are abortion advocates so strongly committed to retaining Roe?
Roe v. Wade is increasingly recognized as bad law, bad medicine, and bad social policy. Most Americans object to an unlimited
right to abortion. Therefore such a policy can be kept in place only
by extraordinary life support — by insisting that Roe is untouchable, regardless of the evidence. Abortion advocates know that any
return of this issue to the democratic process would produce a
very different policy from what the Court created. But false judicial
doctrines do not have a right to live. Human beings do.
Prayer intention for today:
For the sick and suffering: may the Most Holy Body and Blood of
Christ give them strength and consolation through all their trials;
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be....
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most deafeningly silent pain. Six years of the heaviest regret. Just
as profound as my deep need to turn back the clock was my triumphant return to who I once was, thanks solely to Project Rachel.
Prayer intention for today:
That in carrying out the duties of their office, all public servants
will vigorously defend the religious freedoms guaranteed in our
Constitution; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 32, January 14
In her publication The Revolution, was written: "Guilty? Yes. No
matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty who
commits the deed. It will burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in death; But oh, thrice guilty is he who drove her to
the desperation which impelled her to the crime!"
—Susan B. Anthony
Prayer intention for today:
That the heart of every expectant father may be turned toward
his unborn child and his child’s mother, with offerings of love and
support; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 33, January 15
"When a man steals to satisfy hunger, we may safely conclude
that there is something wrong in society - so when a woman destroys the life of her unborn child, it is an evidence that either by
education or circumstances she has been greatly wronged."
—The Revolution, 4(9):138-9 September 2, 1869
Prayer intention for today:
For all who support abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, the
death penalty or other destruction of human life: that the light of
our Christian witness will guide them to the Lord of Life and
Truth; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 34, January 16
“When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property
to be disposed of as we see fit.”
--Elizabeth Cady Stanton, from a letter to Julia Ward Howe,10/16/1873
Prayer intention for today:
For children who are orphaned, abandoned, or whose mothers
cannot care for them: that they will be strengthened and comforted by the knowledge of the Blessed Mother’s tender love for
them; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
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Day 29, January 11
I look at a baby and wonder why he couldn’t be mine. I suffer
every time I see an infant. I can finally hold babies again but it
tears me apart. I want to cry when I see babies. . . I just wish to
hold [Samantha] in my arms. Pregnant women make me jealous. I
think about the baby I could have had everyday but I’m supposed
to go on with my life. The very word ‘pregnancy’ fills me with intense pain and I don’t know how to escape this jail of sadness I
am locked in….Every time I see a child that would be around the
same age as mine would have been, I get upset. Every time I see a
pregnant woman I get jealous and upset.
Prayer intention for today:
For all those who work to build a culture of life, that in the spirit
of the Resurrection, they will remain joyful and hope-filled witnesses to the sanctity of life; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 30, January 12
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my lost child. When I wake
up in the morning, I know I’ve had an abortion. I would never wish
this pain on anybody. The ghost of the missed happiness torments for years and years even the most rational woman. When
you decide not to keep your baby, you start to have two lives: one,
real that ONLY SEEMS like the one you had before, the other one,
real only for your heart, with your baby, that grows and makes
you happy. He was real and he was our son and I miss him. I
always try to say goodnight to [Michael] before I go to bed. I tell
him I love him. I know he is with me everywhere I go….I usually
wind up crying before I go to bed. I still cry.
Prayer intention for today:
For those nearing the end of their lives, that they may know the
gentle voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and entrust themselves
to him in their final days; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 31, January 13
I remember during those dark years, I would wake up each morning, and for a few brief seconds, all was well. Then I would remember what I had done. The grief was all-consuming. But, like so
many other women, I kept it locked inside. I had accepted my fate.
I was unforgiveable. The enormity of what I had done actually
made my steps heavier. Even my shoulders hung lower. I cried
alone almost daily. For brief periods I could take my mind off of it.
Sometimes I would even forget long enough to try and enjoy a
comedy at the movies, but then mid-laughter I’d remember and
my laughing would stop because, well, I didn’t deserve to laugh.
My personal journey of healing began after six long years of the
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December 25--Merry Christmas!
Day 14, December 26
MYTH: "High Court Rules Abortions Legal the First 3 Months.
FACT: Abortion is legal through all 9 months of pregnancy.
In Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court ruled that abortion may
not be restricted at all in the first trimester. In the second trimester abortion may be regulated only for the mother’s health. After
“viability,” abortion may be prohibited except where necessary to
preserve the mother’s health.
Roe’s companion case, Doe v. Bolton, defined maternal “health”
as: “all factors - physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and
the woman’s age - relevant to the well-being of the patient.”
Thus, abortion is legal -- and cannot be prohibited -- in the
7th, 8th, or 9th months of pregnancy if any of these reasons is
invoked. “No significant legal barriers of any kind whatsoever exist today in the United States for a woman to obtain an abortion for
any reason during any stage of her pregnancy.”
Prayer intention for today:
For all priests and seminarians: that they may always deeply appreciate the gift of their vocation and be bold in proclaiming the
Gospel of Life; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 15, December 27
MYTH: Most abortions are done because of maternal or fetal
health problems, or in cases of rape or incest.
FACT: Abortions are rarely done for these reasons. According to
an Alan Guttmacher Institute survey, women cite these as the
main reason for an abortion in a very small percentage of cases
each year:
· 1% “rape or incest”
· 3% “woman has health problem” (physical or mental)
· 3% “fetus has possible health problem”
For all other abortions, the main reason cited is:
· 21% “unready for responsibility”
· 21% “can't afford baby now”
· 16% “concerned about how having a baby could change her life”
· 12% “has problems with relationship or wants to avoid single
parenthood”
· 11% “is not mature enough, or is too young to have a child”
· 8% “has all the children she wanted, or has all grown-up children”
· 1% “husband or partner wants woman to have abortion”
· 1% “doesn't want others to know she has had sex or is pregnant”
· <0.5% “woman's parents want her to have abortion”
· 3% “other”
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Under Roe v. Wade, abortions for these reasons or any other reason must be legally permitted.
Prayer intention for today:
For our elected officials: that their first priority will be to defend
the sanctity of human life and the human rights and liberties endowed by God; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 16, December 28
MYTH: Most Americans favor U.S. abortion law.
FACT: Most Americans actually oppose it.
A recent Harris Interactive poll claims 52% of Americans favor Roe
v. Wade and 47% oppose it. But the poll describes Roe as "the
U.S. Supreme Court decision making abortions up to three
months of pregnancy legal."
That's wrong. The fact is, Roe made abortion legal through all
9 months of pregnancy. In the same poll, 72% of Americans said
abortion should be illegal in the second three months of pregnancy, and 86% said abortion should be illegal in the last three
months of pregnancy.
Even support for abortion in the first three months is open to
question. In a 2004 Zogby International poll, 61% of Americans
said abortion should not be permitted after the fetal heartbeat has
begun. This occurs in the first month. So why do 52% of Americans say they favor Roe v. Wade? Because they don't really
know what Roe did.
Prayer intention for today:
For those who are nearing the end of their lives: that they may be
surrounded by the love of family and compassion of care-givers;
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 17, December 29
MYTH: Roe said the Constitution includes a right to abortion.
FACT: Yet even legal commentators who support legal abortion
have said Roe is not good constitutional law.
Roe v. Wade is "a very bad decision...because it
is not constitutional law and gives almost no sense of an obligation
to try to be."
- John Hart Ely, Yale Law School professor
"As a matter of constitutional interpretation and judicial
method, Roe borders on the indefensible… [It is] one of the most
intellectually suspect constitutional decisions of the modern era."
—Edward Lazarus, former clerk to Justice Blackmun (who authored Roe)
"Since its inception Roe has had a deep legitimacy problem, stemming from its weakness as a legal opinion."
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gry 43%”, compared to “Happy .7%.” 73% of fathers suggested an
abortion. 80% of the women surveyed experienced guilt, 83% regret, 79% loss, 62% anger, and 70% depression. Even a website
which encourages women to consider abortion “so they
can freely decide if it is their choice” elsewhere posts personal
stories describing pressure, coercion or abandonment by the
baby’s father.
Prayer intention for today:
That the Holy Spirit may come down upon the leaders of our nation and upon all whose consciences are clouded by secularism,
and inspire a new era of faith, liberty, and justice for all; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 27, January 9
"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in
Roe vs. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to
abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women
against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the
most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It
has portrayed the greatest of gifts—a child—as a competitor, an
intrusion and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the dependent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and
selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners.
–Mother Teresa
Prayer intention for today:
That the bodily Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ will renew
in all Christians a deep gratitude for the gift of life & the promise
of salvation for those who believe in him; Our Father, Hail Mary,
Glory Be.....
Day 28, January 10
Everything I read on abortion before I experienced it told me that
99.9 percent of women who have abortions do not suffer from depression or regret afterwards. In fact, the information told me I
could expect to feel relieved. Where did they get all that from? I
will never be the same again. Soon the relief wore off and I felt
increased self-loathing. At first it was more of a relief. Now I am
overcome with grief and sadness. I walked out as if nothing in
my life had changed but everything had.
Prayer intention for today:
For mothers and fathers who have lost a child through abortion:
That the Lord’s Divine Mercy may fill their souls, bringing them
healing and new life; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
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And in 1996, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
relied heavily on Roe and its successor, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, in finding a constitutional “right” to assisted suicide.
While some of these rulings were later modified or reversed,
they all underscore how Roe v. Wade has been used to argue that
ideas of privacy and liberty can trump life itself -- after as well as
before birth.
Prayer intention for today:
For all mothers: that their children will honor their many sacrifices by lives of service and virtue; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory
Be.....
Day 25, January 7
MYTH: Abortion is standard medical practice; only religious hospitals and some physicians refuse to provide it.
FACT: Even abortion advocates acknowledge that abortion is outside mainstream medicine.
The vast majority (86%) of all U.S. hospitals whether religious
or secular, public or private, do not participate in abortions. 71%
of abortions in the United States are performed in free-standing
abortion-dedicated clinics. Only 5% are performed in hospitals,
2% in physicians’ offices and 22% in other kinds of clinics.
A New York Times Magazine article reports, “The overwhelming
majority of abortions are performed by a small group of doctors.
(Some 2 percent of OB-GYN’s carry the burden, performing more
than 25 per month).”
The medical community’s stigmatization of abortion is acknowledged by Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health,
which says one of its “primary strategic goals is to eradicate the
stigma that has become attached to abortion and abortion providers within mainstream healthcare.”
Prayer intention for today:
That all Catholics will take up the urgent task of proclaiming the
Gospel of Life to all the world; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 26, January 8
MYTH: Roe v. Wade empowers women to choose freely whether
abortion is their best option.
FACT: Legalized abortion has made it easy for others to pressure
women into having abortions. Not freedom, but “lack of control
over one’s life” is associated with high abortion rates, as is “lack of
financial and social resources.”
An on-line survey of women who had abortions showed that
many women feel pressured by the baby’s father: 85% of fathers
offered no encouragement to continue the pregnancy. When
women said they wanted to continue the pregnancy, the fathers’
dominant reactions were; “Slightly Upset 60%, Mad 38%, Very An12
— Benjamin Wittes, Washington Post legal affairs editorial writer
"One of the most curious things about Roe is that, behind its own
verbal smokescreen, the substantive judgment on which it rests is
nowhere to be found."- Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law School professor
Prayer intention for today:
For our elected officials: that their first priority will be to defend the
sanctity of human life and the human rights and liberties endowed
by God; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 18, December 30
Supreme Court justices have criticized Roe v. Wade.
"I find nothing in the language or history of the Constitution to support the Court's judgment" in Roe v. Wade.
- Justice Byron White
"This Court's abortion decisions have already worked a major distortion in the Court's constitutional jurisprudence…no legal rule or
doctrine is safe from ad hoc nullification by this Court … in a case
involving state regulation of abortion." -Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Roe v. Wade "destroyed the compromises of the past, [and] rendered
compromise impossible for the future… To portray Roe as the
statesmanlike 'settlement' of a divisive issue…is nothing less than
Orwellian."
-Justice Antonin Scalia
Roe v. Wade "was grievously wrong."
- Justice Clarence Thomas
"Roe v. Wade…ventured too far in the change it ordered and presented an incomplete justification for its action."
-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Prayer intention for today:
For the parents of unborn children diagnosed with serious medical
conditions: that their faith and trust in God will overcome their fears
and free them to cherish their baby; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.
Day 19, December 31
Myth: The U.S. abortion rate is relatively low.
FACT: It is among the highest of all developed countries in the
world. In 1973 the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade deemed "every
[abortion] law - even the most liberal - as unconstitutional."
Today the U.S. has the highest abortion rate in the western
world, and the third-highest of all developed nations worldwide.
There are 1.31 million induced abortions annually in the U.S., or
3,500 every day. 24.5% of all U.S. pregnancies end in abortion or
3,500 every day; 24.5% of all U.S. pregnancies end in abortion.
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Prayer intention for today:
For those who care for the sick and suffering: that their words and
actions will always reflect the dignity and worth of those they
serve; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
January 1, 2013--Happy New Year!
Day 20, January 2
MYTH: Most American women support Roe v. Wade
FACT: Most do not. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion throughout
pregnancy, for virtually any reason. Yet according to a national
survey of women published by the Center for Gender Equality,
"only 30% think abortion should be generally available." In
fact, most women say abortion should be substantially limited or
never permitted:
· 17% said abortion should never be permitted.
· 34% said abortion should be permitted only in cases of rape, incest, and to save the woman's life.
And when asked to rank 12 issues in order of importance for
the women's movement, women ranked "Keeping abortion legal"
next to last.
Prayer intention for today:
For married couples: that the eternal, creative and self-giving love
of the Trinity become their model, especially in their openness to
new life; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 21, January 3
MYTH: Most abortions are done before fetal organs are functioning.
FACT: Actually, the vast majority are done after the fetal heart has
begun beating. A fetal heart begins to beat at about 21 or 22 days
after fertilization. That's at about 3 weeks of development. 77% of
abortions in the United States are done well after this point.
Prayer intention for today:
For our federal and state leaders in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government: that they will enact, uphold, and
enforce laws to defend and promote the right to life of all human
beings, especially those not yet born; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory
Be…..
Day 22, January 4
MYTH: U.S. abortion law has not encouraged the use of abortion
as a method of birth control.
FACT: Nearly half of all abortions are performed on women who
have already had at least one. Today, 48% of women having an
abortion in the United States have had at least one previous abortion. In some states the rate of repeat abortions is much higher.
In Maryland, for example, 71.4% of those having an abortion have
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already had at least one. And 16.4% have had at least three prior
abortions.
Prayer intention for today:
For fathers: that they remain faithful to the vocation they have
received to be living witnesses of God’s love to their spouse and
children; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 23, January 5
MYTH: If Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion will automatically
be illegal in the U.S.
FACT: If Roe is overturned, abortion policy will be decided through
the democratic process in each state. Before Roe v. Wade, all
states permitted abortion if necessary to save the mother's life,
and some permitted abortion in additional circumstances.
But Roe deemed "every [abortion] law - even the most liberal - as
unconstitutional." As a result, no state can prohibit any abortion
at any time during pregnancy.
If Roe is overturned, policy decisions about abortion will be
made by the citizens of each state through the democratic process,
rather than by courts. Some states will place limits on abortion, in
others there will likely be few limits.
Not until Roe v. Wade is reversed will the people be able to
govern themselves again on the important public policy issue of
abortion.
Prayer intention for today:
For those who are terminally ill: that on their journey to eternal
life, they will be strengthened by the presence of loved ones; Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.....
Day 24, January 6
MYTH: Roe v. Wade is only about a woman’s right to abortion, not
about a right to take life in general.
FACT: Roe has often been cited by state and federal judges to endanger human beings already born.
In 1986, relying on Roe, the Supreme Court invalidated a law
intended to ensure care for children born alive during attempted
abortions. In 1983, a U.S. district court invalidated a federal regulation to prevent medical neglect of handicapped newborns in hospitals receiving federal funds. The court said the regulation may
“infringe upon the interests outlined in cases such as … Roe v.
Wade.” In 1980, a New York court cited Roe in a “right to die”
case, arguing that the “claim to personhood” of a terminally ill comatose patient “is certainly no greater than that of the fetus.”
In 1993, a Michigan judge cited Roe in dismissing criminal
charges against Jack Kevorkian and declaring that the state law
against assisted suicide was unconstitutional.
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