January 22 is the anniversary of the judgment. Roe v. Wadewhich marked a milestone in the history of abortion in the United States. In 1973 abortion was declared a constitutional right. However, after almost fifty years, the Supreme Court reversed its decision and overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, thus advancing the defense of life.
Since January 1973, the 22nd has been known as the day of prayer for the legal protection of the unborn. For this reason, the secretary of the committee for pro-life activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement reminding the faithful that the penance and prayer of Christians remains essential for the defense of life.
In the statement, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge noted that "human life remains gravely threatened by legalized abortion in most states and continues to be aggressively promoted at the federal level."
Through the committee, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops affirmed that it remains "committed to working for the legal protection of all human life from conception to natural death. However, the communiqué expressed that the responsibility falls on all Catholics.
Life is everyone's responsibility
Bishop Burbidge's statement called on the faithful to "whatever their role, take action to protect human life." And he encouraged to remain in this certainty, even though "the truth is often not easy, but it is necessary."
A special way of caring for life is "radical solidarity" with pregnant women. The pro-life committee wanted to make it clear that life cannot be supported only in theory, but that reality requires communities to accompany mothers and their children along the way.
At the same time, compassion for those who have already undergone abortion is vital. The statement stressed that "the Church offers Christ's forgiveness, healing and hope" for all those who have made the decision to have an abortion.
Finally, the Bishops' Conference expressed its desire "that all people of faith and good will proclaim that human life is a precious gift from God and that each person who receives this gift has responsibilities to God, to himself or herself and to others."
