Choose Life

Choose Life Homily by Fr. Bryce McProud

The social and political divisions in this country are toxic. All you have to do is watch how congress is
divided—and I think that it is a barometer of what’s happening within our citizenry.
This toxic conflict—this bitter division—can be traced to a lot of things—but at the top of my list
is the 1973 Supreme Court Decision—Roe V. Wade—overturning laws in every state that protected
unborn babies. I think that decision poisoned us—like nothing since the Dred Scott decision in 1857.
To refresh your memories, Dred Scott was a slave who lived several years in a free state. When his
owner died, Scott tried to buy his own freedom and that of his family. When his request was rejected
by the heirs, Scott took it to the judiciary and the case wound up in the Supreme Court of the United
States.
On March 5, 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney issued the majority opinion in Scott v Sandford—
Here are the salient points:
• Anyone descended from Africans—whether slave or free—is not –and could not be a citizen
of the United States—even freed slaves—and the descendants of freed slaves— were not
considered worthy of citizenship—although they could enjoy many of the privileges of
being a citizen.
• The reason they could not be citizens—is that people of African descent are not fully
human—therefore they could not have legal standing—further— the norm in the United
States— for every person of African descent was to be a slave-- private property—with no
rights—being a freedmen was a significant departure from the norm.
This is the defense of racism by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of
America. What is just stupefying is that a significant percentage of people in the United States agreed
with this opinion. But a vast number did not—and the conflict over this ruling was a major reason
that this nation of ours entered into a civil war— just a few years after this decision was handed down.
I bring up the Dred Scott case because it was the most odious Supreme Court decision in our history—
until Roe v Wade— issued in January of 1973. I believe this ruling—allowing— and from my
position often encouraging—the killing of unborn babies—has poisoned our civilization—much as
the Dred Scott decision did some 150 years ago.
Roe v Wade— in effect has said that an unborn child is not and cannot have the rights of a citizen—
because that child is not and cannot be a person—therefore that person has no right to “life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness”—or drawing of breath—or falling in love—or feeling the sun on her
face—or singin’ and dancin’ in the rain.
I came from a tradition that was officially pro-choice on abortion. After years of futility—being the
lone voice at Church conferences—challenging that position—I found myself more and more drawn
to the fearless, unequivocal position of the Catholic Church—and this position was not a small part
in my decision to become Roman Catholic.
Some have argued that the Church hasn’t always held the belief that abortion—at least in the first few
months of life—before ‘quickening’—is permitted because the child has not yet become human. I’ve
heard Catholic politicians—on both sides of the aisle—use that argument—much to my horror and
that of the general Church faithful.
It’s the same argument that kept people of African descent in slavery for generations
If you have any doubts on the Church’s teachings on abortion—let me share with you this from
Gaudium et spes—The Pastoral Constitution of the Church—it’s from Vatican II.
“God, the Lord of life, has entrusted [human beings] with the noble mission of safeguarding life—and
[humans] must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost
care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.”
In the 3rd century-- Tertullian— the so-called “Father of Latin Christianity” wrote emphatically that
–“You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.”
In summary, the Catechism states—“Since the first century, the Church has affirmed the moral evil of
every procured abortion. The teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct
abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or means, is gravely contrary to moral law.”
(CCC#2271)
To put it bluntly—one’s immortal soul is in jeopardy if one participates in an abortion in any manner—
having an abortion—coercing— pressuring or even encouraging another person to have an
abortion—performing an abortion—assisting in the performance of an abortion—and so on.
Abortion is not only sin—it’s evil. Full stop.
Eugene Council 1430 9
Choose Life Homily by Fr. Bryce McProud
To show how serious the Church is about abortion, Canon Law #1398 states that any person “who
procures a completed abortion”—in other words if you have anything at all to do with obtaining an
abortion—that person is automatically excommunicated by the very act.
But there is a word of hope—the Church is not only in the business of naming sins and proclaiming
the appropriate judgment—the Church is more in the business of bringing healing and forgiveness.
We in the Church are to start with the prophetic voice—the voice of Jonah to the citizens of Niniveh.
Sometimes this prophetic witness seems so frustrating—ask any in our community who spend
hours—week in—week out— protesting in front of the local abortion mills.
But as Mother Theresa of Calcutta said so profoundly—“We are not called to be successful—we are
called to be faithful.”
And this faithful witness does bear fruit. There are many stories of people who were convicted of this
sin—who repented—and who became effective voices in the denunciation of this great evil. I’m going
to give two examples:
The first is the late Dr. Bernard Nathanson—one time director of the largest abortion clinic in the nation--
located in New York City. He presided over 60,000 abortions—you heard me right—60,000—
including one on his own child. Among his dubious distinctions is that he helped found “NARL,” the
National Abortion Rights Action League.
Dr. Nathanson repented of his great evil and wrote a book entitled Aborting America. In it he speaks of
one of the lies he and his cohorts used to overturn laws protecting our most defenseless human beings.
He writes—“How many deaths were we talking about when abortion was illegal?...It was always
‘5,000 to 10,000 a year.’ I confess I knew that figure was totally false.” (p193) The number was much,
much smaller.
For most of his adult life Dr. Nathanson described himself as a Jewish atheist—but again as a sign
of his repentant heart he received baptism in the Catholic Church in 1996—and until his death in
February of last year—he was one of more effective advocates for unborn babies in at least the last two
decades.
The second is a woman named Norma McCorvey—the Jane Roe of the Supreme Court decision. It
dawned on her that people were lying to her about the benefits of an abortion.
She writes of her change of heart—after she had been part of the so called ‘pro-choice’ movement. This
is from her book Won by Love—
“I was sitting in the O.R.’s offices when I noticed a fetal development poster. The progression was
so obvious, the eyes were so sweet. It hurt my heart, just looking at them. I ran outside and finally it
dawned on me. ’Norma’, I said to myself, ‘They’re right’…something in that poster made me lose my
breath. I kept seeing the picture of that tiny, 10 week old embryo and I said to myself, that’s a baby. It’s
as if blinders just fell off my eyes and I suddenly understood the truth—that’s a baby!”
She goes on—“I felt crushed about this realization. I had to face up to the awful reality. Abortion
wasn’t about ‘products of conception’. It wasn’t about ‘missed periods.’ It was about children being
killed in their mothers’ wombs. All those years I was wrong. Signing that affidavit, I was wrong. Working
in an abortion clinic, I was wrong. No more first trimester, second trimester, third trimester stuff.
Abortion—at any point—was wrong. It was so clear. Painfully clear.”
I’m pleased to say that shortly thereafter, she released a statement announcing that she had entered the
Roman Catholic Church and had been confirmed as a full member.
The argument that the baby—the person—the human being in the womb is a “conceptus” or an “unviable
tissue mass” is just a flat lie—a lie from the pit of hell. From the same place that said people of
African descent are not human beings.
This perception can change—perhaps slowly—but change it must. We are the prophetic voices like
Jonah to the Ninivites. Let us not get caught up in shirking this duty—this call from God. For God
wants people to repent of their evil—even and perhaps—especially the abortionists.
To overturn the Dred Scott decision, it took Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation” outlawing slavery,
and 3 constitutional amendments after the Civil War—the 13th amendment abolishing slavery, the
14th amendment granting former slaves citizenship, and the 15th amendment conferring citizenship to
anyone born in the United States.
We must follow suit and change the law. Until then—
We are to confront the evil, renounce it—and above all call folks gently to repentance—and God will
do the rest.
I think then—and only then—can our country be on the road to healing our deep divisions.