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The Spectacle Blog
On the eve of today’s annual March for Life today marking the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, Cardinal J. Francis Stafford in this interview laments how the Supreme Court’s Roe “intervention” changed not only America, but American Catholic thinking as well. Interestingly, he sees Roe as a culmination of a process set in motion “with the adventure of John Kennedy,” which had so engaged American Catholics such as himself. In his case, it all ended with a “profound sense of disillusionment.”
“Where did this come from? Why did this happen?” he asks. Questions to ponder today, and for more for Cardinal Stafford, check out this companion piece from the excellent Catholic News Service.
UPDATE: Part 2 of the interview with Cardinal Stafford is now available.
View all comments (25) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Wlady Pleszczynski
http://spectator.org/blog/2013/01/25/how-roe-changed-america
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JohnTee| 1.25.13 @ 1:11AM
When you consider the numbers, the Nazis were only pikers in the body count. I wonder what God thinks about the daily petitions from disheartened citizens asking for deliverance for the US under Obama? Do you think He really thinks we're worth saving?
Jack in Wi| 1.25.13 @ 7:11AM
Hitler did most of his killing in the fog of war, with a heavily controlled press. We have killed 60 million of our future citizens with full knowledge of what we were doing. It has destroyed what America was and now the future of endless suffering and misery lies ahead. We did it too ourselves.
RJ| 1.25.13 @ 1:52AM
JohnTee - I had a similar thought today. We are astonished at how the Nazis could have been so wicked, but our society has killed over 15 million unborn children. I don't want to interfere with anyone's private life, but the cheapening of life caused by millions of abortions has had a significant negative impact of the culture of America. Modern America has turned into something I no longer recognize and is painful to witness. How can we improve the culture?
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 12:34PM
First, expose the negative impact on the nation and women to the public in media venues that the masses go to the most and where the left media can not control the information presented. Second, organize mass demonstrations that include only women and women that have had abortions. Let them tell the story, not men.
Third, Shame the Left and put the blame squarely on them. Fourth, develop a clear and concise action that you want taken that people can understand and push for its enactment. Do not ask for the whole bag but do it incrementally.
Fifth, target the local level first and build up from that point. The idea is to create a crack or fissure in the body politic and edifice they created and then widen it slowly. Keep pounding no matter what.
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 12:39PM
One more, come at the issue as a health issue and a crisis, give it a context that is hard to refute.
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 12:44PM
One more, frame the issue as a movement trying to solve a social problem with specific solutions and bring about social change that will give people alternatives, not take something away or leave them with none.
This is how it is done.
JohnTee| 1.25.13 @ 2:20AM
Honestly, I don't think we can. Seems as though, everything you see is another nail in the coffin, with nary a backward glance. Glenn Beck recommends first changing ourselves to weather the storm with God's help.
Probably a good place to start for us. Unfortunately it will take a long time for the country, and the US doesn't have much time left
RJ| 1.25.13 @ 3:16AM
I don't disagree with you. I see no light on the horizon. A friend recently recommended that I read St. Augustine's "City of God," which I am looking into. Becoming worthy of divine salvation seems much more important now.
spike59| 1.25.13 @ 6:09AM
Becoming worthy of divine salvation seems much more important now.
==========================
The concept of grace is based on this: none are worthy-if one could 'become worthy', God's grace would not be needed
CJW| 1.25.13 @ 8:14AM
The abortion issue is similar to the slavery issue leading to the Civil War.
The political parties, Dems and Whigs, did not deal with with except to compromise. The Whig party collapsed with many Whigs forming the Republican Party in 1856 as the abolitionist party. The Dems remained the slavery party. Today, the Republican party is the pro life party, although we have Republicans that are for "choice." The Dems remain the party of death/abortion.
The Supreme Court, in Dred Scott, essentially ruled that black slaves were personal property of the owners. It invalidated statutes restricting slavery in the territories and free states that would have freed slaves.
The Supreme Court in Roe/Casey essentially ruled that an unborn child is the property of the mother and she can do as she wishes. It has removed from the poltitical arena of legislating on the abortion issue.
fmm| 1.25.13 @ 12:15PM
The abortion issue is much worse than slavery. Slave owners did not kill their slaves.
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 10:18AM
The history and politics of the Abortion issue could be used as a perfect case example of how The Left has forced its agenda on the majority of Americans since the 1960's.
First agitate. Create a false crisis. Mislead. Silence critics and opposition. Make false promises. Legislate. If that fails, Sue. Push to the Supreme court, win decision. Maintain the win and use it in elections and demonize opponent. Create organizations funded by government to promote it.
Using the courts is actually preferred as it out rules any attempts by the majority to overturn it through legislation.
Bob K| 1.25.13 @ 10:36AM
This could not be done without the complicit support of the media.
To many "conservative" politicians and journalists have not had the strength of character to oppose this and to support those who are fighting it which is why we are losing this battle.
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 10:51AM
I agree and stated such in my next comment. Good point. And every step of the way, they either colluded or retreated for the last 40 years.
I remember when it was in the agitation stage and the activist were telling everyone that this would only be used in rape, the life of the mother, incest and be limited to the first trimester. They are now killing them in the birth canal half in and half out at near full term. It is now used as a contraception method and is presented as nothing more than getting your teeth cleaned.
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 10:33AM
The pitiful aspect of all of this is the fact that a majority of Americans do not approve of it and want it severely restricted but can not do anything about it as their leadership is so cowed and fearful to take a stand on it and it essentially has been given permanent status via an activist court making laws. One more example how this is not a Republic anymore. The church itself is too afraid to do anything as well, even discouraging its congregations from having them. You know full well that they have given the size and toll of this death machine for the last 40 years.
Yes, we have no excuses. What really pisses me off is the fact that there are tons of alternative other than this murdering for convenience. Real contraception is available from condoms to tube tying. Adoption system is now so advanced and significantly large and pleading for babies that couples now have to go overseas to find them. These people are willing to pay 25, 000 dollars and more for the opportunity to get a child.
These facts are often overlooked.
Bob K| 1.25.13 @ 11:05AM
The Church also becomes complicit in this when they accept monies from the government and the media. Then then are obliged to accept the government's rules on this activity and at least look the other way when it's own beliefs intrude on the media's idea of the benefits of abortion.
Consider the activity of many Journalists on this AS website when Notre Dame was chosen to play for the National Championship. No criticism was heard here at that time about the University accepting money from the Media Giant, NBC, to benefit it's football program. How then can they criticize the University for it's less then luke warm defense of life? Yet the government and the media's beliefs only differ from the beliefs of Professor Peter Singer of Princeton University by degree!
Where the hell has Wlady, the author of this post, been on this? If he is in charge of this publication he should act like he is in charge!
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 12:02PM
Another excellent point and observation.
I have also noticed that this author never responds to criticism, praise, or anything his readers present.
I give Kaminski and Quin a lot of credit for at least engaging their readers and reading their post. This guy seems to think that is beneath him.
You are right, where is he and really all the rest on a variety of issues and events. They spend a great deal of time reacting not proacting to issues and events. They seem often to lose sight of critical events as well. They pretend to be journalist but act like opinionist most of the time.
Ben Stein is not the exception but the rule.
Other than J. Lord whose articles are very lengthy, in part due to his research and actual information on a subject, the rest pontificate, whine, and often lead with a cynical hands up attitude.
What are your thoughts on this matter?
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 12:11PM
I find myself sometimes actually including links in my comments on subjects from other magazines where they are actually educating and imparting information and offering practical solutions.
It is if they are all trying to be William Buckley and be conservative intellectuals. He was a great guy, do not get me wrong but the lofty intellectual arguments and academic distant positions are really old and tired. Let alone the inability of many of them to put anything together the Left does as whole agenda is staggering at times. Nothing is seen as integrated, just react to the daily assaults on segmented issues and the latest pet issue the Left is touting that week or day.
They never write the narratives but leave that to the Left.
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 12:19PM
Breitbart seems to have been the only one capable of making and leading the news and the narrative or breaking a story that cuts through the media wall of disinformation and subterfuge. This passivity and reactionaryism is frankly too much to take anymore.
Look at the dictionary definition of the word...
re·ac·tion·ar·y [ree-ak-shuh-ner-ee] Show IPA adjective, noun, plural re·ac·tion·ar·ies.
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction, especially extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change.
Who is writing these dictionaries?
The Left controls the language and the culture and these dopes still do not get it.
Bob K| 1.25.13 @ 12:54PM
We seem to be on the same track here.
There seems to be much commingling (socially and with ideas) with the politicians and among political journalists who work inside the Beltway or along the Boston, NYC, Wash DC axis. This has to have an effect on them just as it has on the politicians we send there.
Like Dorothy said to Toto: "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!"
They have forgotten that there is a big "America" out there.
Bob K| 1.25.13 @ 1:00PM
Another literary analogy is that they have "fallen down the Rabbit Hole" with Alice.
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 10:41AM
Once again, we will not be able to stop any of this if we do not regain control or at least a voice in our media and educational system.
Science could actually prove the sentience and awareness of the unborn and this would continue nevertheless because the progressives have such a lock on information flow no one would know about it. If you doubt this lock.....Benghazi.
CJW| 1.25.13 @ 10:50AM
I believe the politicians of both parties, except for a few, are glad that the Supreme Court has taken over the abortion issue because they do not have to deal with it. But it remains as a wedge issue for each party to raise funds to scare its base about who the President will appoint to the Supreme Court. The Dems, notably Teddy the Swimmer, perfected this with the attacks on Judge Bork.
Simon Templar| 1.25.13 @ 10:52AM
They were glad when they took the health care issue as well. Excellent point, CJW.
JohnTee| 1.25.13 @ 7:16PM
I hope that some of you are right, and that there is still time or the opportunity for political counterattack, but my fear is based on the state of the culture. We are no longer our fathers' America. The nails in the coffin I referred to are just the latest incidents in s long path to a moral collapse in the US. Looking past the headlines, it is evident that the decay is pervasive and probably insurmountable. The schools produce self satisfied ignoramuses. Our free press spews nothing but political propaganda and invective or a trite voyeuristic pap. We've been on the runaway spending train now for 80 years. When was it ever serious enough to become a national crusade? Consider the feckless, corrupt congress, and now an imperial presidency, that would probably be reelected tomorrow. Even worse, our moral underpinnings and the political principles derived from them. have been chipped away, while we were all living the good life.
Sadly, we conservatives must also shoulder a good bit of the blame, for failing to recognize the trends early on, and failing to oppose the causes of rot. I suppose that is just part of the cost of living in an opulent society. It dulls your perceptions, and besides, there's always tomorrow.
Yeah, but not many.