In building the culture of life persevere, embrace the spirit of charity

As we enter into a new year, it’s a good time to look back and reflect on one of the highlights of 2022 — the historic Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and turned the abortion issue back to the states.

For almost 50 years, pro-life people have been working hard for this moment – praying, volunteering, advocating for pro-life legislation, marching for life in Washington, D.C., and Trenton and helping support moms in need. And now, with the Dobbs decision, Roe v. Wade is overturned and abortion is no longer the law of the land.

For me, it was an extraordinary day that I will never forget. Although the decision was announced almost six months ago, I still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. It was the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and my husband and I were at the airport getting ready to board a flight to visit family who we hadn’t seen in some time.

While at the airport my phone suddenly lit up with text messages from friends and co-workers rejoicing over the news. The next thing I remember is TV screens throughout the airport flashing scenes of angry protesters and news pundits blasting the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe.

All at the same time I felt joy in my heart and uneasiness in my spirit. Of course I was happy over the decision — something I have spent almost 30 years working towards, but a deep unrest flashed over me. Although I could exchange celebratory thoughts with some of my colleagues and friends, I knew in my heart that this would be a taboo subject with others, especially younger family members. You see, millennial and Gen Z Americans have only lived in a society that permits and even celebrates so-called reproductive rights and the destruction of unborn lives.

I realized in that moment that although we have made many strides in the legislature to restrict abortion and Dobbs is a huge pro-life victory in the courts, we have yet to change the culture. Sadly, we have yet to make abortion unthinkable! After all, “banning abortion” is different from “ending abortion.”

Shortly after the Dobbs decision, I heard some wise words from Professor Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University. He called on the pro-life community to remember President Lincoln: “to [avoid] the kind of triumphalism that rejoices in the downfall of an enemy; and, to embrace the spirit of charity that must inform the mind of people who would be reconciled to one another and animate any nation as would be reconciled to itself.”

George encouraged pro-lifers to read Lincoln’s Second Inaugural and be guided by its spirit. “Let us not exult over those of our fellow citizens — good people who are sincerely concerned about women’s welfare — who see the demise of Roe as a disaster. Malice towards none; charity for all.”

In other words: This is no time to spike the football!  We have much work to do! The task before us now is to recapture the narrative on what it means to be human. We need to roll up our sleeves. We need to transform the culture by reflecting Christ, who is the model of authentic humanity, to those around us.

To this end, we need only to look at and expand on the wonderful work of the 2,700 pro-life pregnancy help centers across the nation.  From 2016 to 2020, working to transform a culture of death and destruction into a culture of encounter, the nearly 15,000 staff and almost 54,000 volunteers (including 10,200 licensed medical professionals) walked with moms in need and at risk for abortion to save more than 800,000 lives (as reported by The Lozier Institute). Conversely, abortions were 96.6 percent of all pregnancy resolution services offered by Planned Parenthood according to its 2020-2021 annual report. Providing tangible support including medical care, referrals, education, mentoring, material needs as well as love and support, pro-life pregnancy help centers help to reveal Christ’s love and infinite mercy to vulnerable women who believe they have no other option for their unborn babies and are desperate for solutions.

Christ’s love and self-giving in the Eucharist is the foundation for all that we do in witnessing to the Gospel of Life. As we begin the new year, let us immerse ourselves in the love of the Eucharistic Lord so that we may increasingly imitate him in our daily lives. By partaking in his body and blood at Mass and spending time with him in prayer and adoration, may we receive the strength and graces needed in order to persevere in building a culture of life.

Ruggiero is Secretary, diocesan Secretariat for Family & Pastoral Life