Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton 42 Years Later - Day of Prayer for all Human Persons

Today, January 22, 2015, marks the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade and companion case Doe v. Bolton.  Today marks 42 years of  an estimated  56 million plus legal abortions. Today also marks a day of prayer for the legal protection of preborn children in all dioceses of the United States, a day of prayer for the legal guarantee of the right to life for all human persons. 

On January 22, 1973 when Justice Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, he stated in Section IX  Paragraph A, “The appelle and certain amici argue that the fetus is a “person” within the language and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment.  In support of this, they outline at length and in detail the well known facts of fetal development.  If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant’s case, of course, collapses, for the fetus’ right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the Amendment.  The appellant conceded as much on reargument.  On the other hand, the appellee conceded on reargument that no case could be cited that holds that a fetus is a person within the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment.    The Constitution does not define “person” in so many words.  Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment contains three references to “person.” … In nearly all these instances, the use of the word is such that it has application only post-natally.  None indicates, with any assurance, that it has any possible pre-natal application.  All this…persuades us that the word “person,” as used in the Fourteenth Amendment, does not include the unborn."

 

In 1973, science was not prepared to prove (as it is now), that a living, fully human, and unique individual exists at the moment of fertilization and continues to grow through various stages of development in a continuum until death.  *

Today I pray for the Court to consider the humanity of the preborn child and restore legal protection to personhood of the preborn. 

*Please see Condic, Maureen L., When Does Human Life Begin?  A Scientific Perspective.  The Westchester Institute for Ethics & Human Person, White Paper, Volume 1, Number 1, October 2008.  And Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice – Roe v Wade Doe v Bolton 41 Years Later Part III The Science of Life. 

 



Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr.

January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Martin Luther King Jr., I Have A Dream
Delivered August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday opens a very busy week. January 18 – 25th is the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 22 is the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, January 18-24 features a large number of pro-life activities and programs, culminating with Walk for Life West Coast on January 22 in San Francisco, and March for Life/Walk for Life January 23 in Washington, D.C.

I found it not so much of a coincidence that Martin Luther King Jr. Day would open such a controversial week. I wonder, if he were alive today, what would be his stance on the rights of the unborn? Not that anyone actually knows for sure, I did not have to look far to find an opinion.

Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., released the following comments today on the celebration of her Uncle’s life.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of a Beloved Community where all are treated with respect and dignity,” said Dr. King. “He fought against society’s exclusion of people who were treated as less than human because of their appearance. Today, we are compelled to continue Uncle Martin’s fight by standing up for those who are treated as less than human because of their helplessness and inconvenience.

“The unborn are as much a part of the Beloved Community as are newborns, infants, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. Too many of us speak of tolerance and inclusion, yet refuse to tolerate or include the weakest and most innocent among us in the human family. As we celebrate the life of Uncle Martin, let us renew our hearts and commit our lives to treating each other, whatever our race, status, or stage of life, as we would want to be treated. Let us let each other live.”

Dr. Alveda King, is also a National Spokeswoman for, Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a heroic effort to make the public aware of the devastation abortion brings to women, men, and their families, by exposing a holocaust that has been shrouded in secrecy and silence for too long. Reminding us of the words of her uncle, “The Negro cannot win as long as he is willing to sacrifice the lives of his children for comfort and safety.” She then challenges us to keep her uncle’s “Dream” alive. “How can the “Dream” survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother decides his or her fate.”

In the following statement given on her birthday (coincidence, those who know me know that I would rather refer to this as a CHRIST-incident) on the steps of the Supreme Court, January 22, 2008, Dr. Alveda King continues to carry on in her uncle’s footsteps so that “one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."”

In celebration of the life and dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.