PEORIA, Ill. – There’s more work to be done.
That’s what Catholic Diocese of Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka says on Friday’s Roe versus Wade-related decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tylka describes life as “a gift from God” and that the Catholic Church has “proclaimed the sanctity of human life — from conception until natural death.”
He says the work to be done is for the church and Catholics to continue to be a voice defending life, and wants everyone to offer emotional and spirtual support to families and women with unplanned pregnancies.
Bishop Tylka’s full statement is below.
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. This ruling has a significant impact on the issue of abortion, which was legalized in the Roe v. Wade decision some fifty years ago. Today’s decision overturns what was previously a federal legalization of abortion and has returned the issue to individual states to decide the matter for themselves. Clearly, there is much more work to be done.
Life is a gift from God. From the very beginning, the Church has clearly proclaimed the sanctity of human life – from conception until natural death. As Catholics and as Americans, we must continue to be a voice that defends life – in all its stages and from all its threats – so that we can truly build a culture of life in our country and in the world. As the Bishop of Peoria, I call upon all people of goodwill to support the efforts that uphold the dignity of human life, especially those efforts that offer material, emotional, and spiritual support to families and to women with unplanned pregnancies, as well as the efforts to offer ongoing support and care for children.
Today’s decision is not the last word in this matter. It is, however, a significant moment in the efforts to work toward a greater respect for life and it is a reason to give thanks to God. May the Holy Spirit instill in all of us an ever-greater respect for the sanctity of every human life, especially the lives of unborn children.
–Bishop Louis Tylka, Catholic Diocese of Peoria
