Archbishop Bernard Hebda said he was “profoundly saddened” after learning that elected officials in both St. Paul and Minneapolis declared Tuesday “abortion provider appreciation day” in their cities.
“As our nation is rightly concerned about preventing the spread of the COVID-19/coronavirus and caring for human life, I cannot help but be profoundly saddened and confounded that elected officials in both St. Paul and Minneapolis declared today ‘Abortion Provider Appreciation Day,’” Hebda said in a statement released Tuesday.
“Given that each human life is created in the image and likeness of God and has value, to honor those who purposefully end such life is an affront not only to our Creator but to the foundational values of civil society. There is no way around it – abortion kills children,” he added.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that he is “proud” to celebrate local abortion providers, calling them “an essential part of our community.”
“Every day, abortion providers like Whole Woman’s Health deliver high quality care in the face of harassment and threats to abortion access at the federal and local levels,” Frey said in a statement.
The St. Paul City Council unanimously passed a resolution last week declaring March 10 “abortion provider appreciation day” in the capital city.
The national “abortion provider appreciation day” started in 1996 to recognize the life of Dr. David Gunn, an abortionist who was shot and killed on March 10, 1993.
Archbishop Hebda, who leads the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said elected officials should instead be honoring the men and women who “work to create a culture of life.”
“What gives me hope, however, are the countless women and men of goodwill who tirelessly give of themselves to accompany women in crisis pregnancies, love and assist moms and babies and work to create a culture of life in our communities and in our world,” he said. “It is those people we should be honoring.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Archbishop Bernard Hedba” by Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit. Background Photo “Minneapolis Skyline” by Bobak Ha’Eri. CC BY 3.0.
