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May 17, 2004
Fr. Frank Pavone
The Blackmun Papers
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
With Dr. Paul Schenck
The late Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, the author of Roe V. Wade, left instructions that his entire private file, consisting of more than 1500 boxes and 500,000 items spanning more than 60 years be made available to the public on the fifth anniversary of his death. When that occurred in late March 2004, a relatively small number of lawyers, journalists and researchers requested permission to review the files at the Madison Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
Priests for Life reviewed the contents of the entire file. Our pastoral associate, Dr. Paul Schenck, personally read hundreds of pages of Blackmun’s notes, observations, draft opinions, memos from his staff, clerks and lawyers, and correspondence with his friends, colleagues and the public.
What emerged was a dramatic portrait of a man on a mission. In an oral history given to one of his former clerks in the summer of 1995, Blackmun began revealing his true motives behind Roe V. Wade. In one telling sentence he says, "I think it (Roe) was right in 1973, I think it is right today. It’s a step that had to be taken as we go down the road toward the full emancipation of women."
He then added, quoting Ambassador Sol Linowitz, "Do you want to be just another Supreme Court justice and be there for ten or fifteen years, write a few opinions and be forgotten, or do you want to be remembered?"
This was the first hint that Blackmun began with the idea that abortion had to become legal, and that he would play an important role in bringing that about. What the Blackmun papers show is that the highly controversial finding of Roe v. Wade was not the product of unbiased legal reasoning, but one man’s crusade to make abortion abundantly available in the US.
In a personal history dictated shortly before he died, Blackmun observed that he was up against "The ancient attitudes of... the Roman Catholic Church," and the Mormon Church, the Missouri Synod Lutherans, conservative
Protestants, and most of the so-called Born Again Christians.
Attorneys, historians, and Constitutional scholars on both sides of the abortion controversy admit that Roe was poorly reasoned. That's what happens when the focus is on an anti-religious crusade for social change rather than on Constitutional reasoning.
Fr. Clifford Stevens has done an immense amount of Constitutional research into how Roe v. Wade can be overturned. In his correspondence with one of the Justices currently on the Court, he was told that it was not the
arguments that would change the decision, but rather having the right people on the bench.
Pro-abortion members of the US Senate agree, which is why they have blocked, by unprecedented filibusters, well-qualified nominees of the President. These Senators are setting the stage for the Supreme Court nomination
battles. The public should pay close attention to what they are doing, and when they go to the polls in November, they should remember Blackmun.
From A Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters:
"A disqualifying issue is one which is of such gravity and importance that it allows for no political maneuvering. It is an issue that strikes at the heart of the human person and is non-negotiable. A disqualifying issue is one of such enormity that by itself renders a candidate for office unacceptable regardless of his position on other matters."
From Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics (An On-Line Guide):
The FIVE NON-NEGOTIABLE ISSUES are:
1. Abortion
2. Euthanasia
3. Fetal Stem Cell Research
4. Human Cloning
5. Homosexual "Marriage"
the apostate john kerry disqualifies himself on each of the 5.
My parents Catholic church prays every week for the unborn. When I moved and joined a new (also Catholic) church one of the first things I noticed was that they don't mention the unborn in prayer concerns. It's very noticibly absent for me; I should probably mention this to my new priest.
And be sure to remind people that this isn't about religion and politics, it is about morality, which is the domain of the church.
And politics and law reflect the values and understanding of natural law of the people who make the laws. In our nation, that is "we the people." So our laws reflect on us.
All we are saying is that this year's elections are pivotal for the pro-life movement
Good for Fr. Pavone!
While not a Catholic, Mr Pavone is an impressive figure.
I wonder if these efforts would be better directed at getting more pro-lifers to their party's caucuses. One has greater influence there than in the general election.
Last Sunday's homily included a call to the parish to remember the unborn when we vote in November. Interestingly, the priest looked directly at one of the democratic heavies in my area when he made the statement. I should mention that Senator Susan Collins (one of the pro-choice catholics in the Senate) is a member of my parish, although she was not present that day. I am anxiously awaiting the day that our priest confronts this issue when she is present.
Pro-life catholic voter!
At CCD training last weekend, the RE director and his co-teacher told a room full of CCD teachers that we should not vote against Kerry for his pro-abortion stand because "we don't really know what is in his heart."
I've already called priests for life and am hoping for some help.
The new bishop of Buffalo said in his first interview
"I will not withhold communion from pro choice political candidates"