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A Message from The Most Rev. Thomas G. Doran: It has been twenty-seven years since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its rulings, Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton, which legalized abortion for any reason during all nine months of pregnancy. As a result of these rulings, an estimated 38 million pre-born babies have been destroyed by abortion and untold millions of mothers, fathers, grandparents, and siblings are suffering from the aftermath of those abortions. Sadly, a recent study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute—an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America—reported that 31% of women having abortions describe themselves as Catholic. In 1997 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that no constitutional prohibition against a competent, terminally ill patient committing suicide with the aid of a physician could be found in the Constitution. |
As a result, each state now may decide whether or not to legalize physician assisted suicide. While Oregon is the only state so far to legalize this illicit act, debate on the issue is taking place in other state legislatures, including Illinois.
Many of our people worry about factors encompassing modern medical technology and end of life decisions and think that assisted suicide and in some cases, euthanasia, must be available to them and their loved ones. The mainstream media and others have frightened them needlessly to the point where they do not understand that there are positive, life-affirming options available to the terminally ill and dying.
It is abundantly clear that we must step up our efforts to prevent the actual or threatened assaults on the dignity of each human life from fertilization to natural death. This is especially true for the great multitude of the weak and defenseless among us.
As the Bishop of the Diocese of Rockford, I pledge my full support for the mission of the Respect Life Office and its activities designed to promote the respect for life at all its stages.
The Most Rev. Thomas G. Doran
Bishop of Rockford