Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

Today is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision (1973), a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn Children throughout all of the dioceses in the United States.
 
It is very obvious to me that a society which fails to respect life at the very beginning of existence is also a society that must view religion as the enemy. Remember, the communists limited the influence of religion in order to keep its citizens under its control. The Polish society, and its association with the Church, caused an upheaval through the “Solidarity movement,” which supported workers’ rights and challenged the communist-controlled government. There are those who would argue that this was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union.
 
A person of faith understands that it is God who bestows rights, and I believe our Founding Fathers understood this also: “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,” (The Declaration of Independence). A religion, which holds the value of life as sacred, must challenge a government that legalizes the killing of the unborn.
 
I have noticed that, since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the teachings of the Church have been marginalized. What was, at one time, a respected voice in our society has now been characterized as extreme and out of touch with modern life.
 
When it comes to the Right to Life, I know that we are on the side of the angels. I also know that the winds of change are happening. Younger people are coming to understand the importance of Pro Life. In fact, I heard a young speaker who referred to himself as a Roe v. Wade survivor. He understood that he could not have depended upon the laws in our society to protect him then, and now needed to raise the conscience of the community through responsible political action to protect the unborn.
 
This issue will continue to divide our country. We will never set straight the course of our society until we firmly establish the protection of the rights of the unborn.
 
For people of faith, the formation of our response to the Right to Life controversy must begin with prayer. The protection of life at its very beginning calls us to respect life at all stages. St. John Paul II, champion of the Right to Life at the end of his encyclical “The Gospel of Life,” committed the cause of life to our mother, Mary, composing this prayer:
 
“O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life. Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy. Grant that all who believe in your Son may proclaim the Gospel of Life with honesty and love to the people of our time. Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.” Amen. Remember to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Note: This blog originally appeared as the January 22, 2019 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.