Bishop of Richmond urges Catholics to vote against Virginia abortion amendment
Bishop Barry C. Knestout has written to Catholics in his diocese asking them to reject a November 3 ballot measure that he says would allow abortion without restrictions and violate the fundamental rights of human life
Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia, has written a letter to the faithful of his diocese opposing an amendment that goes to a vote on November 3. The measure, known as the "Virginia reproductive freedom amendment," would add a virtually unlimited right to abortion to the state constitution, allowing it at any point in pregnancy, even up to the moment of birth.
In the letter, Knestout says the protection of innocent human life is a fundamental human right and that direct abortion is a grave moral evil. He cites the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states that "human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception."
Knestout also points to the Church's teaching on the dignity of the person, created in the image and likeness of God. A society that does not defend its most vulnerable members undermines the foundations of justice, he writes. He quotes St. John Paul II, who said that "the right to life, a fundamental and essential right, the condition of all the other rights of the person, is not defended with the greatest determination."
Risks to women's health
Knestout says the proposed amendment is vague and misleading, because it is presented as a measure to help women but could in fact harm them. He says it could remove health regulations that protect women and allow people who are not physicians to perform abortions in the second and third trimesters, increasing health risks.
He also says it could allow a baby to die after an attempted abortion, in violation of the child's right to medical care.
A call to Catholics
Knestout urges Catholics in the Diocese of Richmond to form themselves in the faith through prayer and the teachings of the Church. He encourages them to defend the dignity of every human life, to support laws that protect unborn children, and to work for a culture of life that offers compassion and support to women in difficult circumstances.
Knestout closes the letter by calling on Catholics to vote against the amendment, saying that "all life is sacred" and that abortion is an intrinsic evil that no law can justify. He asks the faithful to choose life and to renew their commitment to supporting women in crisis, recalling the words of Deuteronomy: "Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live."
