The Supreme Court is being urged by a retired Texas bishop to clearly acknowledge the personhood of the unborn child in the womb.
While the Supreme Court deserves appreciation for rejecting Roe v. Wade, Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer, OMI, Bishop Emeritus of San Angelo, said of the ruling leaving abortion in the states: “It did not go far enough. In light of this pro-life ruling, the Supreme Court must now officially acknowledge fetal personhood.
In a statement from September, Pfeifer urged the court to uphold the 14th Amendment’s protection against states that “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law” by recognizing the personality of the unborn.
In his essay, he said that “advocating the fetal personhood is entirely in harmony with medical research, which in recent years has repeatedly acknowledged that there is a new human being in the act of conception — which has always been our biblical view.”
The small unborn person created in the likeness of God must thus be respected and protected as we go forward in the wake of Roe v. Wade, and they must never be denied life or liberty.
Pfeifer, who presided over San Angelo as its bishop from 1985 to 2013, denounced “negative forces at a presidential and legislative level” that were putting out legislation and policies “to legalize the awful slaughter of the unborn via abortion.”
Pfeifer urged his brother bishops earlier this year to hold President Joe Biden responsible and take action against pro-abortion legislation in favor of pro-life measures that assist mothers and the unborn.
More specifically, he urged the bishops to act in April in response to Biden’s proposed 2023 budget, which eliminated pro-life measures.
Prior to October’s Respect Life Month, which the American bishops observe, Pfeifer released a statement. Pfeifer told CNA that Catholics and Americans who support life “have countless opportunities, especially in the pro-life month of October, to show respect for the sacred personhood of each and every one, especially for the unborn, whose mothers might be considering an abortion,” along with their kids, family members, and friends.
He said that they do this by being nice to one another, particularly to expectant mothers. They may do this by uniting in prayer, setting aside time to discuss needs, and reaching out with kind hearts and helping hands, particularly to those who suffer and feel excluded.
He also urged the pro-life movement to act and advance personhood in his remarks.
He said, “Now is the moment for all pro-lifers, headed by the bishops and leaders in governmental and civic institutions, to boldly and clearly proclaim and safeguard this basic life issue of the sanctity of personality starting with the unborn.”
He said, recognizing the personhood of the unborn may pave the way for a generalized ban on abortion.
At the same time, Pfeifer encouraged all pro-lifers, starting with the bishops, to show greater care for women dealing with pregnancy issues. He also urged the faithful to pray to the Holy Spirit.
He said, “Pope Francis emphasizes the closeness, compassion, and tenderness we must have for all pregnant women and those thinking about having an abortion decision, and offers them spiritual, human, health, and financial means to assist them with their many needs and to encourage them to save their babies.
Additionally, we must cooperate with our elected authorities to provide the right assistance to pay for the costs associated with childbirth, as well as their early, continuous care and education.
He concluded, “The human individual is the apex of all creation, made in the divine image and likeness. “We are all made in the likeness of God, even the unborn. The gift of human life is holy and untouchable.