June 24, 2022
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Mississippi and in the ruling held that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”
Read a statement from the Colorado Catholic Conference.
Read a statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila has issued the following statement:
“Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade has been a dark cloud over our country and has played a role in tens of millions of pre-born babies dying. In this life, we will never know the unrepeatable gifts they would have brought to our families, communities, and world.
But for those same 50 years, millions of Catholics have prayed unceasingly and worked tirelessly to promote a culture of life and for an end to the evil that is abortion. God only knows the number of rosaries and other prayers that have been offered up that the dignity of life might be recognized for every child, every mother, and every family. And we know we were certainly not alone in this effort, but joined by many other faith communities and even atheists.
So today we celebrate and praise God for this monumental decision to finally overturn Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood! This is a remarkable moment, and I want to personally thank everyone who has fervently prayed and worked that we might see this day. Our prayers have truly been answered!
With that said, we acknowledge that the work continues, especially here in Colorado.
While precious lives will no doubt be saved because of this decision, in states like ours, the abortion industry and many lawmakers are increasing their efforts to promote Colorado as an “abortion destination.”
Therefore, we must continue to lovingly speak the truth about the God-given dignity of every unique human life from conception until natural death, and we must increase our support of our archdiocesan and parish ministries that offer authentically compassionate care for women, their babies, and their families.
We must ensure our Catholic parishes are places of welcome for women facing challenging pregnancies or who find it difficult to care for their children after birth, so that any mother needing assistance will receive life-affirming support and be connected to appropriate programs and resources where she can get help.
And we must always show Christ’s mercy to anyone who has received or participated in an abortion, and continue to pray that those who support and promote abortion have a profound encounter with Christ’s love and a total conversion, so that abortion is truly unthinkable.
The work ahead of us here in Colorado will continue to be challenging, but we are reminded today that “nothing will be impossible for God.” (Luke 1:37)”
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