The ruling means countless unborn children’s lives will be saved, and for that we are profoundly thankful, he said.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2022
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Most Rev. Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte, has issued the following statement in response to today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:
Today’s Supreme Court ruling means the lives of countless unborn children will be saved from abortion, and for that we are profoundly thankful. The Catholic Church has always professed that every human life is a gift from God and holds inestimable value, and even with this step forward, our work to protect the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death, continues.
Today’s ruling also impels us to redouble our efforts to help women and couples facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, and during their early years of parenthood. The Catholic Church is one of the largest providers of social services worldwide, and in western North Carolina, the Church has offered pregnancy support and adoption services for decades. The Diocese of Charlotte also partners with hundreds of agencies across our 46 counties who provide direct services to pregnant women and new mothers, from health care and housing, to food and transportation, to parenting classes and college tuition. More recently, I have asked our 92 churches to strengthen and expand these efforts, for example, by implementing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Walking with Moms in Need” program to inventory local services and explore ways to fill gaps in services within their communities. Our goal has been – and always will be – to enable and equip every woman with the support and resources she needs to welcome and care for her unborn child.
Sadly, another likely result of today’s ruling is that the number of women traveling to North Carolina to seek abortion may rise, given that our state’s laws continue to legalize abortion. So, as we increase our outreach to these women, we must also intensify our advocacy for laws that will put an end to the practice of abortion. Ultimately, we as a society must finally recognize, as science confirms, that life begins at the moment of conception, and that this is really a civil rights issue involving the right to life for the most vulnerable among us, the unborn child.
I invite everyone to join me in praying for the conversion of hearts, so that our communities might come together to protect and support both mother and child at every stage of life.