The heart speaks with tears of repentance, unequivocal proof of recognizing that the truth was and will always be on the side of life.
It is not a maudlin or rhetorical title intended to attract attention; I am talking about tears that I have seen on the face of a woman, a few days ago, motivated by the repentance of an abortion, which occurred some time ago. I have seen them, precisely, on the eve of knowing the sentence of the Supreme Court of Justice of the United States, revoking the ruling of that same Court by which, in 1973, the doors to legal abortion were opened. It was the case Roe vs. Wade; In short, this happened:
Norma McCorvey −known in the case as Jane Roe− requested the right to an abortion because she claimed to have been raped. She sued Henry Wade, the Texas District Attorney, to prevent him from enforcing a law that prohibited abortion there. At the same time, a similar case arose from another woman −Sandra Cano− in the state of Georgia. In January 1973, the Court resolved both cases in favor of the plaintiffs; he struck down those laws in both districts, and the domino effect occurred: similar laws were struck down across the country. The starting signal was fired, by virtue of a false right, to be able to suppress the nascent life in the maternal womb. Now, it is revoked with the new sentence of June 24.
The next day, the Episcopal Conference of the country issued a “Declaration” that, among other things, says: “For almost fifty years, the United States has imposed an unjust law allowing some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of unborn children, generations denied the right even to be born.”
References to this fact set fire to social networks these days. In my case, it only drives me to write to bear witness to the pain and tears that I have seen, as I said at the beginning, and to make some reflections about it. To begin with, the shocking testimony of a single woman has made me think of the millions who will have suffered the same harrowing tragedy. But I do not write only, nor mainly, from the feeling, “from the heart” as they say; but I will do it from the bond head and heart closely united, and even more so if what is at stake is the truth and dignity of the person, as in the case of the “abortion problem”, because it touches the most essential and original of the human existence: the singular life itself.
Many aspects converge in this sad reality, impossible to address here; but it is clear that the starting point and what is crucial for a fair decision revolves around the assessment we make of the new life originating in the womb. A true assessment must have the scientific contribution of medicine and biology on the one hand, and with the light of our intelligence applied to the concrete fact, on the other. At this point in science, there are no arguments to deny that it is a new life that appears at the moment in which the male and female gametes fuse. And all average intelligence will understand that this new biological reality of the zygote, developing, is the same one that, as a person, will see the light of this world if its life is not taken away. This truth, together with the ethical principle that all human life is sacred and there are no valid reasons for anyone to claim the right to suppress it, makes abortion appear for what it really is: to eliminate the life of a human being.
It is not necessary to be a believer to accept those truths that common sense provides and are at the foundation of all ethical behavior. But if we go to higher instances, they will only strengthen from a higher perspective what our reason has already achieved with its own lights. And we will say that our life is a gift of God offered through our parents.
However, the moral seriousness of abortion became so obscured that John Paul II denounced it in his 1995 Encyclical The Gospel of Life: “But today, in many people’s consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception” (J. Paul II, Enc. The Gospel of Life, No. 58).
Courage to face the truth, purifying it from contaminating adhesions that cloud reason, such as ideologies contrary to the dignity of the person. So without those veils, intelligence, the language of the head tells us that taking the life of an innocent human being cannot be recognized as a right. This is what the magistrates of the Supreme Court have done now by revoking a right that was not such. They have been brave in self-criticizing their institution, and may many other brave people on this side of the Atlantic follow suit! And with the language of the head, that of the heart, equally purified, in this case, of outside pressures and possible misleading advice. Then, the heart speaks with tears of repentance, unequivocal proof of recognizing that the truth was and will always be on the side of life. Two languages with one voice. It has been said that in every war the first casualty is the truth. In this unleashed war against unborn life, Roe, that is, Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff for the right to abortion, requested it – as I pointed out – alleging rape as the cause of her pregnancy. Years later she admitted to having lied and asked the Supreme Court to annul that sentence. Sandra, the plaintiff in the state of Georgia, also asked that the ruling be reversed. They were not listened to, but their hearts spoke at last in the language of truth; I don’t know if they would also do it with the one with the tears. I am moved to pray for them and conclude by endorsing these words from the U.S. Bishops’ Statement: “Our first thoughts are with the children whose lives have been taken since 1973. We mourn their loss and commend their souls to God who loved them since before all ages and will love them for all eternity. Our hearts also go out to every woman and man who has suffered grievously from abortion; We pray for their healing and promise our continued compassion and support. As a Church, we must serve those facing difficult pregnancies and surround them with love.” J
