Editorial

To Life, a Cause for Celebration

Posted

The final days of each year, and the first days of the next one, are wrapped up in celebrations of life.

As pointed out in a statement by Cardinal Dolan, the new chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committee on pro-life activities, we close the year celebrating the birth of Jesus, “the fruit of Mary’s humble ‘yes’ to God’s gift of new life.” Then comes the arrival of the Wise Men, celebrated as the feast of Epiphany in early January; and this week we celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his life-affirming civil rights mission.

Not cause for celebration, though, is the anniversary of two profoundly anti-life Supreme Court decisions in 1973—Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton—that removed all restrictions to abortion around the country.

It’s not an anniversary that goes unmarked.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from around the country gather in Washington, D.C., on the anniversary date of Jan. 22 to support the pro-life cause at the March for Life.

And Cardinal Dolan, who has participated in the march many times over the years, has a much more prominent role this year thanks to his leadership role on the bishops’ committee. In addition to joining the march itself, he’s scheduled to be principal celebrant of the annual Vigil for Life in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception the night before, and also to celebrate Mass for New York pilgrims.

As always, those attending the Masses and the march itself will be praying for a reversal of our stubbornly persistent abortion laws—possibly the most permissive in the world. But they should not be discouraged.

Abortion has long been trending downward, both in numbers and in rates. The annual “State of Abortion” report released last week by the National Right to Life Committee showed that U.S. abortions had dropped from a peak of 1.6 million in 1986 to just over 1 million in 2012, the last year complete statistics are available, reflecting a 4.2 percent drop from year-before levels. And indications are that the downward movement is continuing.

Clearly, more women of all ages are rejecting abortion, and for that the pro-life movement can take a bow.

But clearly, too, much more has to be done. As Cardinal Dolan said in his Jan. 14 statement, “Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason—though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us.” And many people, while on board with many of the goals of the pro-life movement, do not identify themselves as “pro-life.”

That is a disturbing situation, and should lead to an examination of “how we present our pro-life vision to others,” the cardinal said. But there is also an opportunity at hand.

“The majority of Americans are not committed to (an) extreme ideology” and are open to hearing a message of reverence for life.

But at any time, and especially in the midst of a highly charged presidential campaign year, it can be easy to dismiss the pro-life cause as merely a political or partisan issue. It is not that, however.

It is, rather, “an essential moral vision that lifts up every human person,” the cardinal said.

And that, we think, is exactly the right message.