Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) has fueled the ire of many Catholics for asserting the teachings of the Catholic faith justify her claim that Catholics may support and promote ending the lives of unborn babies.
“I am a Catholic—baptized, raised, and confirmed,” DeLauro tweeted Tuesday. “The fundamental tenets of my faith compel me to defend a women’s right to access abortion. I am proudly part of the faithful large majority of US Catholics who support legal protections for abortion access.”
Not Catholic https://t.co/23bMPJgCdr
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 27, 2023
On June 24, the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a statement led by DeLauro and signed by over 30 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives who claim to practice the Catholic faith yet are committed to ending the lives of unborn babies, expressed the anti-life lawmakers’ pride to be “part of the faithful pro-choice Catholic majority” who support abortion.
The statement cited a survey that claimed “68 percent” of Catholics “supported the legal protections for abortion access enshrined in Roe,” while 63 percent “think abortion should be legal in all or most cases.”
The Democrat lawmakers appeared to include ending the life of the unborn as intrinsic to “Catholic social teaching”:
… helping the poor, disadvantaged, and the oppressed; protecting the least among us; and ensuring that all Americans of every faith are given meaningful opportunities to share in the blessings of this great country. We recognize that bans and restrictions on abortion disproportionately harm those who already endure poverty, discrimination, and racism. Our values demand that we dismantle economic insecurity, gender inequality, and systemic racism.
DeLauro and her colleagues also called upon the “separation of church and state,” claiming, in the case of abortion, the concept “means allowing for our faith to inform our public duties and how we best serve our constituents – not that we impose our religious beliefs and customs on others who may not share them.”
“The fundamental tenets of our Catholic faith — social justice, conscience, and religious freedom — compel us to defend a woman’s right to access abortion,” the Democrats said. “We are committed to advocating for the respect and protection of those making the decision if and when to have children.”
DeLauro slammed for saying abortion is consistent with Catholic faith: 'Go to confession' https://t.co/fhHd4FRN2c #FoxNews
— Family Institute CT (@FICAction) June 28, 2023
The Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, released a rebuke Thursday of the Democrats’ statement by the U.S. Bishops’ president and chairmen, who called it a “distortion of Church teaching.”
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities; and Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, issued a “corrective” statement, asserting the lawmakers “falsely invok[ed] specific teachings of the Catholic Church to defend their support of a legal right to abortion”:
Members of Congress who recently invoked teachings of the Catholic faith itself as justifying abortion or supporting a supposed right to abortion grievously distort the faith. It is wrong and incoherent to claim that the taking of innocent human life at its most vulnerable stage can ever be consistent with the values of supporting the dignity and wellbeing of those in need. ‘Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception,’ including through the civil law [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2270, 2273]. Abortion violates this with respect to preborn children and brings untold suffering to countless women.
The bishops said that while conscience “rightly enjoys a special regard both in Church teaching and in the public sphere,” it “is not a license to commit evil and take innocent lives.”
“Conscience cannot and does not justify the act or support of abortion,” the bishops continued. “In fact, conscience ‘must be informed and moral judgment enlightened’ with the Word of God in faith and prayer, and ‘guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church’ [CCC 1783, 1785].’”
“Moreover, the reality that the preborn are our living sisters and brothers is not only a matter of faith, but is attested to by science and sound reason,” the Catholic leaders said. “We once again implore and pray for Congress to join us in working toward the true common good by prioritizing authentic, uplifting support for the vulnerable and marginalized, including mothers and families in need.”
Others on Twitter also rebuked DeLaura.
“The Catholic Church declares abortion a grave moral evil, a mortal sin, rejecting Christ in the baby killed,” conservative commentator and podcast host Liz Wheeler responded to DeLauro on Twitter. “You can’t be a Catholic in good standing & support abortion. By supporting abortion, you are rejecting Catholicism & Christ. I encourage—& pray—you will go to confession.”
The Catholic Church declares abortion a grave moral evil, a mortal sin, rejecting Christ in the baby killed. You can’t be a Catholic in good standing & support abortion. By supporting abortion, you are rejecting Catholicism & Christ. I encourage—& pray—you will go to confession.
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) June 27, 2023
Human Events Senior Editor Jack Posobiec responded, “Not Catholic,” while author and podcast host Sean Parnell tweeted, “There’s no debate here,” citing the catechism of the Catholic Church.
There’s no debate here.
Catechism of the Catholic Church: paragraph 2270-2275
“Human life must be respected & protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among… https://t.co/5B4EEvo45P— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) June 28, 2023
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Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
