Educate yourself about ROE Act

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press


WORCESTER – More than 100 legislators have co-sponsored a bill to expand abortion up to birth in Massachusetts. But hardly any legislators actually read the bills they co-sponsor; they need voters to educate them about what the bills say.
These points were made at a parish education seminar about the “ROE Act” currently before the Massachusetts Legislature. The seminar drew an estimated 60 people to Christ the King Parish Wednesday.
Speakers were Marianne Luthin, director of the Pro-Life Office of the Archdiocese of Boston, and James F. Driscoll, executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, the public policy office for the Massachusetts bishops.
The MCC, the Worcester Diocese’s Respect Life Office and Christ the King offered the seminar. The seminar is being offered again at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish at 7 p.m. July 23 in the church at 11 Day St., Webster. All are welcome.
At Wednesday’s seminar Mrs. Luthin called abortion expansion attempts an enormous human rights issue. Mr. Driscoll called the bills aiming to expand abortion frightening.
Senate bill, S. 1209, “An Act to remove obstacles and expand abortion access,” was sponsored by Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, First Worcester District, where Christ the King is located. Fifty-two others co-sponsored it. House bill, H. 3320, “An Act removing obstacles and expanding access to women’s reproductive health,” has two sponsors and 100 co-sponsors.
The identical bills use the acronym ROE, which connects them with Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all states, Mrs. Luthin said.     
But, she said, this legislation goes far beyond Roe v. Wade. It “removes current protections and definitions; overlooks rights of the unborn after 24 weeks (viability); expands access and funding beyond Roe v. Wade,” her PowerPoint presentation explained.
The legislation deletes 10 sections of Massachusetts law, Mrs. Luthin said, telling listeners that some of them probably helped get those sections passed in 1974. Troublesome even for some legislators who favor the right to choose abortion is the removal of the requirement that abortions after 24 weeks be performed in a hospital, leaving women in more danger, she said.
Massachusetts law defines pregnancy as “the condition of a mother carrying an unborn child” but the “ROE Act” defines it as “the presence of an implanted human embryo or fetus within a person’s uterus,” the PowerPoint notes.
“Very dehumanizing, isn’t it?” Mrs. Luthin asked, adding that there is no mention of women, mothers or babies.
The legislation also seeks to change Massachusetts’ definition of abortion. Currently abortion is defined as “the knowing destruction of the life of an unborn child or the intentional expulsion or removal of an unborn child from the womb other than for the principal purpose of producing a live birth or removing a dead fetus.”
The legislation defines abortion as: “any medical treatment intended to induce the termination of a clinically diagnosable pregnancy except for the purpose of producing a live birth.”
This says a lot about those who proposed this change, Mrs. Luthin said; if it’s just a medical condition, one doesn’t have to deal with the presence of another life or moral concerns.
Current Massachusetts law requires a doctor who performs an abortion after 24 weeks “in keeping with good medical practice ... (to) include the presence of life-supporting equipment ... in the room ....” The presentation noted that the “ROE Act” deletes that protection.
The “ROE Act” also allows abortion after 24 weeks for virtually any reason: “in light of all factors – physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the person’s age – relevant to the well being of the patient.”
Some people have said that the “ROE Act” legalizes infanticide, Mrs. Luthin said. But she said that elsewhere in Massachusetts law infanticide is still considered homicide and is prosecutable.
However, allowing late-term abortions in non-hospital settings could mean babies die after failed abortion attempts if specialized life-saving equipment is unavailable.
The legislation also creates a new section of law: “The Commonwealth shall not interfere with a person’s personal decision and ability to prevent, commence, terminate, or continue their own pregnancy ….” So it does not apply just to unborn babies with “lethal abnormalities,” as some people say, Mrs. Luthin pointed out.
The legislation also expands the “Healthy Start” prenatal care program to include payments for abortions, according to the PowerPoint. Mrs. Luthin said the Catholic Church has a much more beautiful vision of life and love; it has free pregnancy help centers and ministry to those suffering after an abortion, and calls for compassion.
Mr. Driscoll talked about the legislative process and contacting legislators.
Thousands of bills are filed in a session, which runs for two years, he said. Legislators co-sponsor each other’s bills, usually without reading them, so “we have to be the educators of the people we elected.”
He asked interested listeners to contact their own senator and representative, identify themselves, politely say they oppose the abortion expansion legislation and explain why, in their own words. They can call, email or write to legislators or go to their local offices, and speak with aides if necessary.
Mr. Driscoll also encouraged listeners to contact the chairpersons of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary who decide what to do with this legislation. Ideally they will let the bills die by sending them to study until the end of the formal session, July 31, 2020, he said.
He said he’s found an effective point to make is that the legislation removes the requirement that a minor get the consent of a parent, guardian or the courts to have an abortion.
Some legislators “do have moral and intellectual capacity,” Mrs. Luthin said.
Mr. Driscoll asked listeners to encourage others –  not just Catholics – to contact legislators too. The more calls legislators get, the more likely they are to step back from voting for the bills, he said.     
In response to a bulletin insert from MCC about opposing these bills, he’s received about 1,200 calls from people wanting to get involved, he said. And the MCC website – www.macatholic.org – had about 12,000 hits, up from 1,000 during the same time last year.
Allison LeDoux, director of the diocesan Respect Life Office, said Bishop McManus asked all parishes to promote that bulletin insert. She told listeners if theirs didn’t, they can politely ask their pastor if that can be done and how they can help do it.

– Those wishing to find their legislators’ names and contact information can visit www.malegislature.gov/StateHouse/Contact and type in their own address and zip code. Those without computer access can call the Massachusetts Catholic Conference at 617-746-5630.