Albuquerque Journal

This traditiona­l Catholic state is now the abortion capital

- BY HARRY MONTOYA

Over the past few years, New Mexico’s Church leaders have been only passively engaged on the life issue while giving most of their energy to social agendas that hold little to no biblical relevance. Although New Mexico is a traditiona­l Catholic state and a majority of our legislator­s (and governor) claim to hold Catholic beliefs, overnight we have become the abortion capital of the country.

The Church’s tepid stance changed on Sunday when New Mexico’s Catholic bishops issued a mandate to protect human life, specifical­ly pregnant mothers and their unborn children. In a letter penned by Archbishop Wester, and joined by Bishops Wall and Baldacchin­o, the church’s position on the sanctity of life was made crystal clear.

This was a welcome pronouncem­ent from these leaders, albeit a little later than many of us would have liked. Regardless, this directive is not only welcome, it is badly needed.

New Mexico, the most Catholic state in the country, has become the Wild West of abortion. “Safe, rare and legal” have been replaced with “on demand, for any reason, at any age.” How did we let New Mexico get to this sad state?

Our beloved New Mexico has been turned into an abortion “tourism” destinatio­n. The governor is even going to use taxpayer money to build an abortion center outside of Las Cruces to cater to Texas. Gov. Lujan Grisham’s Department of Health has also created an abortion hotline to give access to abortion pills. …

House Bill 7, which Lujan Grisham endorsed and signed into law this year, makes abortions available to children (of any age) without their parents’ knowledge or consent. This law essentiall­y makes New Mexico a safe haven for sex trafficker­s and pedophiles.

School based health clinics are even using a medical intake form that states, “You do not have to inform your parents if you are seeking reproducti­ve or gender affirming care.” New Mexico’s abortion laws aren’t just out of step with the Catholic Church, but parents have been stripped of the right to protect their kids.

Archbishop Wester’s decree to protect life will be taken more seriously if the church stops playing footsy with the governor on less important issues. This is especially true as priests and Catholic parishione­rs quietly whisper that MLG should be excommunic­ated for the devastatin­g policies she has imposed on the unborn.

It is now up to all practicing Catholics (and Protestant­s) to get engaged and move New Mexico back to a reasonable state. The question now is how much damage has already been done, and can it be undone? By the grace of God it will be undone.

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