Archbishop Raymond Burke

Archbishop Raymond Burke
In pursuit of the truth – cinops be gone – Monday, February 2, 2009

The Archbishop has sent a message of support from Rome to those in the U.S. who defend human life and the traditional family. He told them not to give up the fight; even things may seem dire with the election of Barack Obama. He particular urged pro-life people to continue the political and legal battle against the 1973 US Supreme Court decision, Roe vs. Wade that legalized abortion.

“We are in a very dark period for the pro-life movement, which means that now we have to re-double all of our efforts,” he said.
The new president, Archbishop Burke said, must hear from the American people “who I believe are, in the end, pro-life above everything else.” But the time has come, with the election of the man who is being called by pro-life advocates the “most pro-abortion president” in US history, to announce clearly and firmly the message of the sanctity of life and family more than at any other time.

“THERE CAN NEVER BE ANY LET-UP ON THE EFFORT TO OVERTURN ROE VERSUS WADE,” HE SAID, “BECAUSE THERE IS, AT ITS DEEPEST CORE, OUR MOST UNJUST JUDICIAL DECISION, IT HAS TO BE OVERTURNED.”

He agreed that people of good will could work with the Obama administration to provide improved services to the women in crisis pregnancies and pointed out that the Catholic Church has “above all, been in the forefront of that.” But, he said, “that can never exempt us from the duty” to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
“It’s going to depend upon the pro-life movement to make that voice heard, and to get people to express to the president their dismay with what he’s doing, so that he understands that the people of the United States are not for the murder of infants in the womb.”

He told LifeSiteNews.com Jan. 30/09 that he is becoming “very concerned” at the number of people who have written to him to say that the election of Obama is a sing that the pro-life movement has definitely failed to overturn Roe vs. Wade. He particularly denounced the idea, put forward by some in the pro-life movement in the U.S. that the time has come to abandon the fight against Roe and turn exclusively to “education” and to cooperate with the new administration in “reducing abortions” by improving welfare and health services for women.

Archbishop Burke responded, saying, “TO ME THIS IS A FORM OF SELF-DELUSION BECAUSE THE LAW ITSELF IS ONE THE PRINCIPLE TEACHERS IN ANY CULTURE, AND YOU HAVE A LAW, A DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT OF YOUR COUNTRY, WHICH SAYS, IN EFFECT, THAT AN INFANT IN THE WOMB CAN BE DESTROYED RIGHT UP TO THE TIME OF BIRTH AND EVEN IN THE ACT OF BIRTH.

Until Roe vs. Wade is overturned, he said, “that law remains a teacher in the culture and represents a direction given to the life of the society, of the nation.

“So, I’m very concerned that some of the dedicated pro-life people don’t fall prey to this false reasoning, and then NOT continue their work for the repeal of Roe v. Wade.”

George H. Kubeck
P.S. 80% of Americans believe that abortion should be illegal or restricted in some way.