Abortion, Guns and the \u2018Throwaway Culture\u2019 Democrats and Republicans reject policies that would fortify what St. John Paul II referred to as a \u2018culture of life.\u2019<\/a><\/p>\nLike so many others, I am heartbroken by the senseless gun violence that has taken the lives of innocent victims in recent weeks. The loss is immeasurable. Americans of all political stripes are grieving and crying out to God to ask when our beloved nation will restore its respect for human life.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, our political system appears to be broken, as Republicans and Democrats operate in silos and see more political benefit in intransigence than consensus. The result is that both parties reject policies that would fortify what St. John Paul II referred to as a culture of life and instead embrace what Pope Francis has called a throwaway culture that extends even to human beings.<\/p>\n
Among Republicans, we see it in the refusal to consider even widely popular proposals that would help to increase gun safety. Among Democrats, we see it in the frantic drive to expand abortion, even in states where it would be impossible to expand it further.<\/p>\n
Take my state, New York. Lawmakers in Albany recently scurried to pass a package of bills designed to increase the practice of abortion. These proposals extended virtually no support to scared and overwhelmed pregnant women who might seek alternatives to abortion, if only they knew they existed. Never mind that, though. With the Supreme Court poised to render a decision that could allow states to protect helpless human lives in the womb, New York lawmakers saw a political opportunity. They have stampeded to make the state an abortion \u201csanctuary.\u201d They\u2019ve passed measures to shield abortionists from liability and to encourage women from other states to come here to terminate the lives of their children. Gov. Kathy Hochul has unilaterally allocated millions of taxpayer dollars to abortion facilities to welcome out-of-state women.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next? Will they add abortion clinics to the \u201cI Love NY\u201d tourism guide, alongside craft breweries and weekend getaway destinations? Would anyone be surprised if they did?<\/p>\n
It gets worse. In addition to these new laws encouraging abortion, the Legislature also passed a measure designed to eliminate pro-life options. That bill, now awaiting the governor\u2019s signature, would require the state health commissioner to \u201cstudy\u201d pro-life pregnancy centers, which exist to give women in crisis pregnancies a real alternative to abortion. The goal is to intimidate these wonderful organizations into shutting down.<\/p>\n
This is a complete rejection of the \u201cchoice\u201d that elected representatives say they support. Where is the choice for the frightened young pregnant mom, usually African-American or Latina, who desperately wants to keep her baby but is having trouble paying her rent, putting food on the table, and filling her gas tank? Where is her sanctuary? Will the only answer for her be to destroy her offspring? And where is the sanctuary for the helpless baby in her womb, which should be the safest place around? Can\u2019t it be a \u201cboth and\u201d rather than an \u201ceither or\u201d when it comes to a mother and her baby? According to our state\u2019s elected Democrats, the answer appears to be no.<\/p>\n
Republicans share the political blame. Toward the end of the legislative session, New York\u2019s elected Republicans opposed a raft of important new gun-safety laws, which passed anyway, promising to increase the legal age to purchase semiautomatic rifles and strengthen the state\u2019s red-flag law. My brother bishops and I were happy to support these important initiatives, all intended to save lives, just as we firmly opposed the new abortion laws.<\/p>\n
How will it be possible to sustain a culture of nonviolence and safety when one party continues to applaud and promote the killing of defenseless babies in the womb and the other practically deifies firearms and rejects even the most common-sense regulations on them?<\/p>\n
The prospects look bleak, but I\u2019m in the business of hope. I ask New Yorkers of every faith to join me in prayer that our lawmakers will take seriously their responsibility to protect and defend human life.<\/p>\n
Cardinal Dolan is Archbishop of New York. <\/em><\/p>\n