Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, upon hearing of the Supreme Court decision that strikes down Nebraska's law banning partial-birth abortion said:

"I am profoundly saddened by the Supreme Court decision in Stenberg v. Carhart. In its ruling, the Supreme Court has taken the outrage of abortion itself one step further by opening the door to an even graver crime, the destruction of children literally inches and seconds from birth. This decision is indicative of the level to which our society has sunk in this ‘culture of death,' that children can be killed in a manner so akin to infanticide.

The vast majority of all Americans oppose partial-birth abortions. This particularly barbaric procedure is unnecessary even in the case of danger to the mother's health. The American Medical Association has stated that the procedure is never medically necessary and it would not be recommended for a woman with a health problem.

A slim majority of the Court has denied the basic human right to life to the most vulnerable among us. The Catholic Church will continue its relentless opposition to all forms of abortion, especially this heinous crime against those who cannot protect themselves. We will be their voice and work with all people of good will to affirm life for all our citizens. We will oppose this and all other efforts that would destroy life, from the moment of conception to natural death, or that would attack the dignity of the human person.

I urge all people of good will to continue their efforts and maintain their trust that God will not abandon the helpless. I also urge legislators to continue in their struggle to defend life. We will pray that respect for human life will be the foundation of all decisions by our government officials and that our society will soon come to value and respect the life of every human being simply because he or she is a child of God."

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Donna Crilley
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