The Great Divide: MA Catholics Split On Roe V. Wade Decision

MASSACHUSETTS — In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Catholics across Massachusetts remain divided on a woman’s right to choose.

The decision, authored by Justice Samuel Alito Jr., was released Friday, more than a month after a draft of the opinion leaked. Reversing the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and a subsequent case on fetal viability, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, it takes away the constitutional right to abortion and will have an immediate impact on abortion rights in 13 states, largely in the South and West.

Catholic leaders have long fought against the right to abortion and for fetal rights, with the argument that life begins at conception. However, the issue has proved not to be so black and white among progressive Catholics, many of whom are now voicing their belief that a woman should be the only one to make decisions about her body.

Two sides to the story

As the Vatican upholds a strict anti-abortion stance, the Pontifical Academy for Life, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and local dioceses released statements Friday praising the Supreme Court’s decision.

"This is a historic day in the life of our country, one that stirs our thoughts, emotions and prayers,” the USCCB said in a statement. “For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn children, generations that were denied the right to even be born.”

"The abortion debate formally moves to 50 states and US territories to decide whether abortion will be legal, limited, or illegal within their borders,” Bishop Robert J. McManus of the Diocese of Worcester said in a statement. "Will we be known to the world as a group of states defined by being either pro-life or pro-death? Or, will we acknowledge someday that a country whose foundational principle is freedom and justice for all cannot exclude the most vulnerable, a child in the womb?"

However, organizations such as the local LGBTQ Catholic group Dignity Boston, a sector of the national organization DignityUSA, see the debate from a completely different angle, asserting that Catholics can still be faithful and stand up for reproductive freedom.

“DignityUSA stands with the majority of U.S. Catholics who believe that access to safe and legal abortion, along with the entire range of reproductive health services, should be affirmed in our federal public policy,” DignityUSA said in a statement. "It is appalling to us that so many Catholic leaders have worked so long and devoted so much money to claiming a religious justification for denying the right to essential health care for so many, and in particular to control the reproductive lives of women and other people who could become pregnant. We reject every effort to impose a minority religious view on a diverse nation.”

"We pledge to keep working toward what we believe to be the real demands of the Gospel and teachings of our Church: ending oppressive systems that diminish the human dignity of any of God’s people,” the organization continued.

What local Catholics are saying

Patch asked Catholics from across Massachusetts for their opinions on the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Some readers said they still align their views with the traditional Catholic teachings on abortion.

“I support the decision to abolish abortion,” said Page Vandewater. “The solution to a problem is not to kill somebody, there’s a better way around it. I don’t believe that something is either completely right or completely wrong, they have won before and we lost and now we won and they lost. Let's just all work together and make it work."

“I found the ruling great news,” said an anonymous resident who was raised Catholic but is now non-practicing. "There are so many preventative methods to avoid conceiving a baby.”

Others said they have moved away from or never believed in prohibiting abortion and brought up issues including women’s rights, health and safety and marginalization.

"No one should ever be FORCED to do anything with their bodies they don't want to,” said Jean Ryan. "It's a crime to rape someone, it's a crime to perform any medical procedure (evan an x-ray or a tooth filling) without your permission (it's assault and battery), but a state can force you to go turn your body into an incubator for 9 months, regardless if you keep the baby or not? How does that make sense? This is a crime against fundamentals of privacy between a doctor and patient."

"I'm pro-choice, I don't believe abortion should be used as birth control,” she continued. "But I feel it's your body your choice. Period. It's truly a sad time in this country that the line between church and state is getting thinner. No one's religious beliefs should be shoved down the throats of anyone.”

"The Conservative Catholic Supreme Court Justices care about life only when it is unborn,” said Maureen Lally. "Once born they put semi-automatic guns in the hands of those that would slaughter innocent children in their classrooms!“

"I believe that abortion is a difficult decision for women and isn’t done lightly,” she continued. "Having said that, it must be a woman’s right to choose what is best or her and her family. The notion that women do this casually is sexist, misogynistic and racist."

“Actually knowing [the decision] was official was absolutely devastating,” said Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA and longtime member of Dignity Boston. “I think as a person of faith, my goal is always to work toward making sure people are as safe and respected as they can be."

"As a Catholic, I felt so deeply ashamed of the leadership role and the officials of my church played in getting to this point,” she continued. “The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ statement was so triumphant, there was nothing in it that recognized most Catholics are not happy with this decision. It just added so much injury to our world."

“It’s all part of the white supremacist, white nationalist, Christian agenda,” Duddy-Burke concluded. “They have a vision of what a white world looks like, and women having authority, queer people, interracial marriage, and people of color, none of that is part of the world they are promoting. I think if we are not aware of how these things are linked and how strategic these people are being to create a world with their idea of Christian values, there’s going to be a lot of trouble ahead of us.”