Bishop of Richmond urges Catholics to vote against Virginia abortion amendment

Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia, has written to the faithful of his diocese to oppose a ballot measure that goes to a vote on November 3. The measure, known as the "Virginia Reproductive Freedom Amendment," would write a virtually unlimited right to abortion into the state constitution, allowing the procedure at any point in pregnancy, even up to the moment of birth.

In the letter, Knestout said protecting innocent human life is a fundamental human right and that direct abortion is a grave moral evil. He cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states that "human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception."

Knestout also pointed 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 said. He quoted 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 maximum determination."

Risks to women's health

Knestout said the proposed amendment is vague and misleading. Although it is presented as a measure to help women, he said, it could in fact harm them. He said it could remove health regulations that protect women and allow people who are not physicians to perform second- and third-trimester abortions, increasing health risks.

He also said 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 urged Catholics in the Diocese of Richmond to be formed in the faith through prayer and the teaching of the Church. He encouraged 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 closed the letter by calling on Catholics to vote against the amendment, reaffirming that "all life is sacred" and that abortion is an intrinsic evil that no law can justify. He invited 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."