Roe vs Wade overturned: Vatican, US Bishops praise Supreme Court decision
The Vatican's Academy for Life and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) applauded the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that guaranteed the right to abortion.
The Vatican department said in a statement that because life has "broad social significance" it cannot be protected just through the lens of individual rights.
The momentous Roe v. Wade decision from 1973, which acknowledged a woman's constitutional right to an abortion and made it lawful in all 50 states, was dramatically overturned by the US Supreme Court on Friday.
The Academy said in a statement that "The fact that a large country with a long democratic tradition has changed its position on this issue also challenges the whole world."
U.S. President Joe Biden, a lifelong Catholic, condemned the ruling, calling it a "sad day" for America and labelling the court's conservatives "extreme."
The President of the Pontifical Academy, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, said: "In the face of a Western society that is losing its passion for life, this act is a powerful invitation to reflect together on the serious and urgent issue of human generativity and the conditions that make it possible; by choosing life, our responsibility for the future of humanity is at stake."
"This is a historic day in the life of our country, one that stirs our thoughts, emotions, and prayers. For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn children, generations that were denied the right to even be born, " the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said in a statement.
The statement, signed by USCCB President Archbishop José Gomez and pro-life Committee chair Archbishop William Lori, goes on to note that Roe v Wade, "which legalized and normalized the taking of innocent human life," marked a "grievous" denial of the truth that all men and women are created equal, with God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
