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(LifeSiteNews) — In the face of an abortion amendment that removes virtually all restrictions to the direct killing of preborn girls and boys, the Catholic bishops of Virginia have spoken out and pledged to fight the passage of this measure with “maximum determination.”
Quickly passing in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate last week, the proposed measure aims to establish a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one’s own prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.”
Bishops Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Barry Knestout of Richmond called the swift passage of the so-called “Virginia Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment” so early in the legislative session “shocking to the conscience” in a statement on Friday.
After passing two consecutive sessions, the proposed amendment is now scheduled to be put on the November 3 general election ballot for Virginia voters to reject or ratify.
READ: Over 2 million Ohio voters may have jeopardized their immortal souls by ratifying abortion amendment
“The extreme abortion amendment, which will proceed to a referendum for voters to decide later this year, would go far beyond even what Roe v. Wade previously allowed,” the bishops explained. “It would enshrine virtually unlimited abortion at any stage of pregnancy, with no age restriction.”
The prelates warned the measure “would severely jeopardize Virginia’s parental consent law, health and safety standards for women, conscience protections for healthcare providers, and restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortions.”
“Most tragically of all, the extreme abortion amendment provides no protections whatsoever for preborn children,” the bishops lamented. “(H)uman life is sacred. The lives of vulnerable mothers and their preborn children must always be welcomed, cared for, and protected.”
“Parental rights and the health and well-being of minors must be defended,” Bishops Burbidge and Knestout stated. “So too must religious liberty. No one should ever be forced to pay for or participate in an abortion. Health and safety should be enhanced, not diminished.”
In addition to the amendment supporting virtually unrestricted preborn child killing, the commonwealth will also be voting on another amendment to “repeal the one-man/one-woman marriage provision approved by Virginia voters in 2006,” which the Catholic Church opposes, the bishops stipulated. Additionally, voters will cast ballots on another measure that restores “voting rights to all who have completed their prison sentences,” a proposal the prelates support.
“We will be deeply engaged in the work of helping to educate voters on these proposed amendments and will fight the extreme abortion amendment with maximum determination,” the bishops affirmed.
Prayer, fasting, advocacy, and God’s inexhaustible mercy
In a separate statement released the previous day, Bishop Burbidge invited the faithful of his diocese to “pray, fast, and advocate for the cause of life” due to the “looming threats” that “represent a serious moral and social regression.”
“Prayer opens our hearts to God’s wisdom and strengthens us to act with courage and charity,” the bishop explained. “Fasting makes reparation for sin and reminds us that true freedom is found not in self-indulgence but in self-gift. Advocacy allows us to bring our convictions into the public square with respect, clarity and perseverance.”
“Our response as Catholics — and as citizens committed to justice — must be rooted in faith, truth, and love,” he affirmed.
The bishop continued by inviting all those who have been spiritually or emotionally harmed by participation in abortion of God’s inexhaustible mercy as exercised in Jesus Christ’s Church.
“It is essential to reaffirm a truth that lies at the very center of the Church’s pro-life mission: the Church is a loving mother,” Burbidge affirmed. “To any man or woman who carries the pain, regret or sorrow of participation in abortion, know this clearly — you are not alone, and God awaits you with love and mercy. The Church desires to walk with you on a journey of healing and hope.”
“Through confidential, non-judgmental ministries such as Project Rachel After Abortion Care and other pastoral resources, we seek to offer compassion, understanding, and the reassurance that God’s mercy is greater than any of our failings,” he wrote.
“May we together pray fervently, act courageously, and serve generously,” Burbidge implored. “May our witness help build a culture in Virginia — and beyond — that recognizes every human life as sacred, every person as beloved, and every moment as an opportunity to choose life.”
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News Source : https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/virginia-bishops-vow-to-fight-radical-pro-abortion-amendment-with-maximum-determination/
