Archbishop: Pro-Abortion Politicians Should Be Excommunicated

Bishops From Across The United States Are Rejoicing At Texas' New Firm Laws On Abortion, Saying They Will Save 4000 Lives A Month, While Also Calling For Pro-Abortion Politicians To Be Excommunicated.

Laudetur Iesus Christus.

Bishops from the US state of Texas have rejoiced at a new law passed to prevent abortions after six weeks, where it is believed a foetus has its first heartbeat. The law is a result of intense lobbying by Texan Bishops, who wield a high amount of political power.

Texan Bishops. Source: CNA

The Texas Bishops said that opponents of the law are making a "disturbing" effort to "dehumanise the unborn."

"We cannot turn away and say that, since the killing of another person takes place within the body of a woman, we, as a society, should not care, any more than when someone is killed within the privacy of a home or in a public venue."

"[Preventing] abortion is a human rights issue; the most fundamental human right is the right to life," said the Bishops. "Abortion is not healthcare. Abortion is not freedom. Abortion does not help women. Abortion is never the answer. It is always the violent taking of innocent human life."

A provision of the law awarding damages to people who report illegal abortions, and punishing those who aid and abet the procurement of an abortion, has drawn significant controversy.

The Texas Bishops' said that "hundreds of millions of dollars" have been invested by the Church in abortion alternatives programs for pregnant women and their families and that there are "hundreds of pregnancy and parenting support programs and adoption services" in the State.

The Bishops said, "it is estimated that as many as 4,000 lives each month will be spared as a result of the law", and added they "pray that the courts in Oklahoma will follow suit and allow our recently-enacted heartbeat law to go into effect."

"One doesn't need to be Catholic to believe that abortion is an offence against human dignity and the taking of an innocent life," they said. "We are not only opposed to abortion because the Church tells us to oppose it (as a matter of faith), but because it is morally repugnant and inconsistent with respect for human life."

The Texas law prompted Catholic President Joe Biden and Catholic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to consider federal intervention to keep abortion legal throughout pregnancy.

Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives would vote on the Women's Health Protection Act when they return from recess. The bill would create a law allowing abortion throughout pregnancy and forbid states from enacting their own pro-life restrictions on abortion.

In a statement published after the law was allowed to go into effect, President Biden directed his administration to "examine what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions."

Archbishop of San Francisco, the Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone, warned that these actions by Catholic politicians should warrant excommunication.

In a Washington Post opinion piece published on the 5th of September, Archbishop Cordileone, who is Speaker Pelosi's ordinary, noted that in the 1960s, prominent Catholic segregationists were excommunicated by then Archbishop Joseph Rummel of New Orleans for refusing to embrace racial integration.

The three excommunications, he said, were an example of a legitimate Catholic response to "a great moral evil" of that period and were not "weaponising the Eucharist."

"Archbishop Rummel recognised that prominent, high-profile public advocacy for racism was scandalous: it violated core Catholic teachings and basic principles of justice and also led others to sin." said Archbishop Cordileone.

The same, he said, is true of prominent Catholics who support abortion rights. "You can not be a good Catholic and support expanding a government-approved right to kill innocent human beings. The answer to crisis pregnancies is not violence but love, for both mother and child." said Archbishop Cordileone.

"Catholic political leaders' response to the situation in Texas highlights the need for the Church to say it all the louder."

Archbishop Cordileone's essay drew strong reactions from his brother Bishops. "Thank you for speaking up, Archbishop," said Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler."I am with you 100%, as are many Catholics and others who know that life is sacred."

His comments were echoed by Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield in Illinois, who said it was an "excellent op-ed."

Bishop James Conley of Lincoln wrote, "It is impossible to deny the humanity of the unborn child. Catholic politicians must uphold the human rights of these tiny citizens," and encouraged people to"take some time to read this excellent piece by Archbishop Cordileone."