Anti-abortion protesters use the Catholic Church as a scapegoat – India press release

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Last weekend was horrible in the United States. Demonstrations erupted outside Catholic churches as pro-abortion hordes swarmed their surroundings, angered by the leak of the draft ruling she would reverse. )Roe versus Wade. Sunday masses were drowned in slogans, while those who couldn’t get in chatted with even more extremism. “God killed his son, why can’t I kill mine? shouted a protester outside a church in New York, as reported by Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review. Another accused Catholics of having “enslaved women for two thousand years”. Stained glass windows were smashed, walls were spray-painted – “The Church” was the most common phrase – and property was destroyed. In short, a pro-life center with religious ties in Madison, Wisconsin, had the ominous message scrawled on its wall: “If abortions aren’t safe, then neither are you.

It wasn’t entirely spontaneous. For the past week, pro-abortion groups have been directing protesters to Catholic churches across the country. They were singled out by the left for the reaction. As the group Ruth Sent Us wrote on Twitter: “If you are a ‘Catholic by choice’, an ex-Catholic, of another faith or of no religion, recognize that six extremist Catholics have decided to overthrow Roe .” Meanwhile, Rise Up 4 Abortion, he has called for week-long uninterrupted protests in churches – against what he calls “Christian fascism”.

That these groups began their offensive on Mothers’ Day – a celebration of motherhood, the true opposite of abortion – it’s as ironic as it is disrespectful. Plus, it’s pretty useless. The Church, like any other religious organization, has no legislative or judicial power in America (indeed, the history of the Western Reformation implies its separation from state power). He cannot alter the Court’s verdict or adopt a political remedy. Only the Court and Congress can do that. Demanding the “right” to abortion outside of a church will therefore get you nowhere.

What is intriguing, then, is the particular emphasis on Catholic churches. Yes, the Catholic Church has historically played an important role in the pro-life cause. But he is one of many, and his role in the case itself

Dobbs is marginal to the zealous activity of others on both sides of the case. He was not part of the case. He did not play a role in shaping the Mississippi law. He did not lead the campaign to gain support in

Dobbs

. Although the Church has long opposed abortion and has presented several

amicus briefs [Nota da tradutora: Documentos legais apresentados por pessoas ou organizações que não fazem parte diretamente do caso, mas auxiliam um tribunal de apelação oferecendo informações ou argumentos adicionais e relevantes que o tribunal possa considerar antes de tomar sua decisão. Eles essencialmente mostram ao tribunal que sua decisão final afetará outras pessoas além das partes] In this case, these actions were no different from the thousands of other parties who have filed similar lawsuits and done so much more. Clearly, in this round of the fight against abortion, the Church has joined millions of Americans cheering on the outside instead of jumping into the arena. The idea that you are responsible for the decision of

Dobbs

to significantly deserve such protests is an exaggeration.
This begs the question why activists are so obsessed with Catholics. Many religious groups, NGOs and institutions across the country are pro-life, but no systematic demonstrations have been planned against them. Catholic churches are the establishments – in addition to the residences of Supreme Court justices – that have been chosen for the protests.

Ruth Sent Us reveals the purpose pretty clearly. Reread the group’s tweet: “six extremist Catholics have decided to overthrow Roe”. extremist Catholics). This slander is the only real connection between the Church and this case: the beliefs of the Catholic judges who would vote with the majority. It doesn’t matter that Judge Neil Gorsuch belongs to the Episcopal Church [Igreja que faz parte da Comunhão Anglicana], that President Roberts’ vote has yet to be determined, or that Judge Samuel Alito’s draft opinion was not based on any fragment of canon law, scripture, or religious citation. It was, as Michael Brendan Dougherty wrote last week, a “brilliant and insightful”, widely quoted, and comprehensive opinion to legally refute all claims of a constitutional right to abortion. For the left, none of this matters. Since five members of the supposed majority are also members of the Church, Catholicism

must

be the source of their government, they believe. Therefore, for them, American Catholics must suffer the indignity of having their holy places targeted. The Catholic Church is the scapegoat of the left. This answer is worse than ignorant. It perpetuates an undercurrent of anti-Catholic sentiment in American life that dates back to 1789. Even as the Founding Fathers enshrined religious liberty in the U.S. Constitution and proclaimed that “no religious test shall be required” for public office, anti-Catholic Georgian England fanaticism persists on the young country’s fringes, with ‘Pope’s Nights’ set to burn. effigies of the pontiff. Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. called this “the deepest prejudice in the history of the American people”. It peaked in 997, during John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, before rewinding once more.

Now that old line has returned with a new flavor, as the political left uses the Catholic faith as its bogeyman of fear, conjuring up ancient Church archetypes like a puppeteer instructing his followers (in this case, the judges). People were saying the same thing about the Catholic Kennedy in 997 – that he would receive instructions from the Pope in Rome. In 2017, we saw it with Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (Democrat, CA) terrifying statement – “Dogma lives high in you, and it’s a concern” – during the Supreme Court confirmation hearing. call from Professor Amy Coney Barrett. Now, in 2022, it’s back in full swing, with pro-abortion activists across the country turning their anger on the Church, based on the lie that it’s the

power behind the throne[eminência parda] Catholic judges on abortion.

This lie must be denounced, ridiculed and returned to the ashes. Judges are not beholden to the Church for their decisions. The Church is absolutely only one of many voices in the vigorous abortion debate in the United States. Catholics deserve to practice their faith without fear or harassment from crowds enraged by a decision they did not write down. Democratic leaders — many of whom are Catholic, for example President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — must strongly condemn the bigotry of pro-abortion protests on their side across the country. It is a test of your own faith: not in the Church, but in America itself. Arjun Singh holds a degree in political science from the University of Toronto.

©2022 National Review. Published with permission. Original in English.8892

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