Last weekend was an ugly one in the US. Protests erupted outside Catholic churches as pro-abortion hordes invaded their surroundings, angered by the leaked draft of the decision it would overturn. )Roe vs Wade. Sunday Masses were drowned out by slogans, while those who couldn’t get in chattered with even more extremism. “God killed his son, why can’t I kill mine?” shouted a protester outside a church in New York, as reported by Natioal Review’s Kathryn Jean Lopez. Another accused Catholics of “enslaving women for two thousand years.” Stained glass windows were smashed, walls were spray-painted – “Fthe Church” was the most common phrase – and property was destroyed. In short, a pro-life center with religious connections in Madison, Wisconsin, had the ominous message scrawled on its wall: “If abortions aren’t safe, then neither are you.”
This was not entirely spontaneous. For the past week, pro-abortion groups have been directing protesters to Catholic churches across the country. They were designated by the left for the reaction. As the Ruth Sent Us group wrote on Twitter: “If you are a ‘Catholic by choice,’ ex-Catholic, of another or no faith, recognize that six extremist Catholics have decided to overthrow Roe.” Meanwhile, Rise Up 4 Abortion he called for uninterrupted, week-long protests in churches – against what he calls “Christian fascism.”
That these groups started their offensive on Mother’s Day – a celebration of motherhood, the true opposite of abortion – it’s ironic as well as disrespectful. Also, it’s pretty useless. The Church, like any other religious organization, has no legislative or judicial power in America (indeed, the history of the Western Reformation involves its separation from state power). It cannot change the Court’s verdict or enact any political appeal. Only the Court and Congress can do that. Demanding “rights” to abortion outside of a church, then, gets you nowhere.
What is intriguing, then, is the specific focus on Catholic churches. Yes, the Catholic Church has historically played a significant role in the pro-life cause. But he is one among many, and his role in the case itself
Dobbs is marginal compared to the zealous activity of others on both sides of the case. He was not a party to the case. He did not play a role in the making of Mississippi law. He did not lead the campaign to build support in
Dobbs
amicus briefs [Nota da tradutora: Documentos legais apresentados por pessoas ou organizações que não fazem parte diretamente do caso, mas auxiliam um tribunal de apelação oferecendo informações ou argumentos adicionais e relevantes que o tribunal possa considerar antes de tomar sua decisão. Eles essencialmente mostram ao tribunal que sua decisão final afetará outras pessoas além das partes] In this case, these actions were no different from the thousands of other parties who filed similar lawsuits and did much more. Clearly, in this round of the fight against abortion, the Church has joined millions of Americans cheering on the outside instead of jumping into the arena. The idea that you are responsible for the decision of
Dobbs
Ruth Sent Us reveals the purpose quite clearly. Read the group’s tweet again: “six extremist Catholics have decided to overthrow Roe.” Extremist Catholics ) . That slander is the only real connection between the Church and this case: the beliefs of Catholic judges who would vote with the majority. It doesn’t matter that Judge Neil Gorsuch is of the Episcopal Church [Igreja que faz parte da Comunhão Anglicana], that President Roberts’ vote has not yet been determined, or that Judge Samuel Alito’s draft opinion was not based on any fragment of canon law, scripture or religious quote. It was, as Michael Brendan Dougherty wrote last week, a “brilliant and insightful” opinion, widely quoted, and comprehensive in legally refuting all claims of a constitutional right to abortion. For the left, none of that matters. Since five members of the supposed majority are also members of the Church, Catholicism
must
Now that old line has returned with a new flavor, as the political left uses the Catholic faith as its scarecrow for fear, evoking old archetypes of the Church like a puppeteer giving instructions to her followers (in this case, the judges). People said the same about Catholic Kennedy in 997 – that he would receive instructions from the pope In Rome. In 2017 we saw this with Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (Democrat, California) terrifying statement – “Dogma lives high in you, and that’s a concern” – at then-Professor Amy Coney Barrett’s Court of Appeals confirmation hearing. Now, in 2022, it is back in full swing, with pro-abortion activists across the country diverting his anger towards the Church, based on the lie that it is the
éminence grise
This lie must be denounced, ridiculed and returned to the ashes. Judges are not indebted to the Church for their decisions. The Church is absolutely just one of many voices in the robust abortion debate in the United States. Catholics deserve to practice their faith without fear and harassment from mobs enraged by a decision they did not write. Democratic leaders – many of them Catholic, for example President Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi – must resoundingly condemn the fanaticism of pro-abortion protests on their side across the country. It is a test of your own faith: not in the Church, but in America itself. Arjun Singh holds a degree in political science from the University of Toronto.
©2022 National Review. Published with permission. Original in English.8892
