Pittsburgh Catholics: Decision marks day ‘of great happiness’
Just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case, Pittsburgh Catholics cheered the decision.
“Those of us who have worked and prayed to protect unborn children are profoundly grateful that the Supreme Court of the United States has determined that there is not a constitutional right for abortion,” Bishop David Zubik said in a statement Friday.
The 6-3 decision to uphold a Mississippi state law reversed nearly 50 years of federal abortion protections.
Friday’s news was hailed by Catholic leaders and some parishioners, even though polls have shown that a majority of U.S. Catholics support abortion rights.
“All lives have been protected by the law except the lives of those who are unborn,” Bishop Zubik said at a news conference Friday afternoon. “This is the moment where the foundation of our government is working as it is intended to work.”
Other faith leaders, however, were concerned about the ruling, including Rabbi Daniel Fellman, senior rabbi at Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill.
“This ruling clearly seems to put one religion’s views ahead of others,” he said. “We as Jews believe that life begins at birth. So this ruling means that for those who live in states that are outlawing abortion, their religious liberties have been diminished.”
He called the decision a “full-frontal attack,” adding that a person’s body should not be the subject of legislation. He said he plans to let people know that his synagogue will work to assist anyone getting an abortion in any way it can.
But Bishop Zubik and other Catholic leaders commended the decision.
“We pray for many lives to be saved,” he said. “It is time for a healthier national conversation about pregnancy and parenting, one that recognizes the real difficulties and creates ways to support pregnant women and to welcome children.”
After Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland, the Rev. Kris Stubna said Friday was “a day for us of great happiness and joy as we see something that we’ve long worked for finally come to fruition.
“Abortion is such an emotional and difficult issue for a lot of people, but for Catholics, for people of faith, we’ve been working for 50 years to overturn what we consider to be a law that does great destruction to our understanding of the sacredness of human life, that every life is important and valuable.”
Some parishioners celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision as they left Mass at St. Paul Cathedral, including Andrew Zenchak, 52, of the South Side.
“This is to show that all lives matter, everybody’s important,” Mr. Zenchak said. “Babies are born in the womb. They don’t come from storks, and praise be Jesus Christ.”
Tom Barsh, a 63-year-old parishioner from Glenshaw, said he was a lifelong Democratic voter and “the abortion issue with me was always something difficult as a Catholic to reconcile with what the party had. But the rhetoric from the party over the last six years or so since 2015 has gone too far.”
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh encouraged parishes to participate in Walking with Moms in Need, which supports pregnant women. The diocese in a statement also mentioned Project Rachel for those who have had abortions. It provides counselors to help women, children and men through the healing process.
“We fully believe that when we have a pregnant mom in front of us, we are treating two clients,” said Susan Rauscher, executive director of Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh.