Hello again, everyone! Another development, this one on the US judicial stage, has occurred. In a 5-4 ruling today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark court case establishing the constitutional right to an abortion. In overturning that ruling, SCOTUS has turned the determination on abortion rights back over to individual states.
This ruling has been anticipated for a while, thanks to previously-leaked details on the ruling. I am mentioning this on this blog because, as a result of the ruling, the Church this morning also reiterated long-standing doctrine on the sanctity of life and detailed under what circumstances the Church condones abortion, which are exceptions rather than the rule. The update leads to a topic page on the matter.
As has been mentioned in other settings, abortion is condoned by the Church when sought by individuals, in consultation with their priesthood leaders, under the following parameters: cases of rape or incest, if the health of the mother is deemed to be in danger by a competent physician, or if a competent physician determines that a fetus will not survive beyond birth due to severe defects.
The Church supports measures that protect the sanctity of all human life and preserve religious freedom. I am grateful that the Church has reiterated established doctrine and policy on this matter. I realize that this is a hot-button issue with some controversy attached to it, and I also acknowledge that mentioning this reiteration of policy may open up a can of worms comment-wise, but I would hope that all who weigh in in response to this post will ensure that their comments are respectful of the Church's position and of the opinions of other individuals who comment here.
I would respectfully suggest that, as a guide for commenting on this issue here, we'd all be well-served to remember the words of the second verse of the hymn, Lord, I Would Follow Thee:
Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Who am I to judge another?
Lord, I would follow thee.
My prayer is that that verse may be our guide for further discussion on this matter here. In the meantime, that does it for now. All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as the offered feedback is made per the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to “sound off” in the comments below.
If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
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In addition to my life-long love for the subjects which I cover in the posts of this blog, I have long held the belief that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable. Differences of opinion are natural, while being disagreeable in expressing those differences is not. And in that sense, I have no desire to close the door on anyone who earnestly desires to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on subjects covered in the posts on this blog.
At the same time, however, I recognize that we live in a time when incivility, discourtesy, unkindness, and even cyber-bullying has regrettably become part of online interactions. With that in mind, while anyone who wishes can comment on anything if they choose to do so, I hereby reserve the right to immediately delete any comments which are critical, unkind, lack civility, or promote prodcuts, services, and values contrary to either the Church, or to the rules of online etiquette.
I'd also like to remind all who comment here that I try to respond personally to each individual comment as I feel is appropriate. Such replies are not meant to end the conversation, but to acknowledge earnest feedback as it is submitted.
And in order to better preserve the spirit and pure intentions for which this blog was established, I also hereby request that anyone not commenting with a regular user name (particularly those whose comments appear under the "Unknown" or "Anonymous" monikers, give the rest of us a name to work with in addressing any replies. If such individuals do not wish to disclose their actual given names, a pseudonym or nickname would suffice.
Any comments made by individuals who opt to not give a name by which they can ber identified may, depending on the substance and tone of such comments, be subject to deletion as well. I would respectfully ask that all of us do all we can to keep the dialogue positive, polite, and without malice or ill-will. May the Lord bless us all in our discussion of these important matters.