Bishop Stresses Right to Oppose Abortion
The president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops today issued a rallying cry to end abortion on demand in a speech celebrating the bicentennial of the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
In a speech opening the fall meeting of the bishops’ conference, Archbishop John May of St. Louis paid respect to the nation’s democratic traditions and said the Catholic Church must exercise its right to express its opinion on abortion.
“Don’t forget the baby. That’s all the Catholic Church is saying to America,” said May in what was also his farewell address as conference president.
Leaders of the nation’s largest religious denomination are scheduled to discuss statements on abortion, the Middle East and AIDS and elect a new president during the four-day meeting.
In his speech, May said Americans need to hear the 53 million-member church’s voice on issues ranging from the Middle East to poverty, but the one issue where “clear-cut moral principle stands tall above all else” is abortion.
If someone were to propose dropping any 6-month-old baby who seemed to be a burden to the family into the Baltimore Harbor, May said, people would be aghast.
“What is the difference between a child a few months after birth and a child a few months before?” May asked.
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