January 3, 2003
Peter Crary
Attorney at Law
1201 12th Ave N.
Fargo, ND 58102-3530
Dear Mr. Crary:
I received your
letter of January 3, regarding the proposed abortion bill. I
appreciate your passion for the cause of life. Both Bishop Samuel
Aquila and Bishop Paul Zipfel share your desire to protect innocent
human life at every stage. The bishops of North Dakota, in partnership
with the other bishops of the United
States, remain completely committed to overturning Roe v.
Wade and working
constructively for
the building of a culture of life.
Neither bishop is
available at this time to directly respond to your letter. They did,
however, have a copy of the bill draft and an opportunity to discuss
it at their December 10, 2002 North Dakota Catholic Conference Board
of Directors meeting. While appreciating the bill's apparent purpose,
the bishops decided not to support it at this time.
By doing so, Bishop
Aquila and Bishop Zipfel recommitted themselves and, therefore, the
North Dakota Catholic Conference, to the positions previously
established by Bishop Sullivan and Bishop Zipfel and which are
consistent with the Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the leadership of our
Holy Father, John Paul II. Of particular concern, then and now, is the
punishment of the woman having the abortion. For pastoral, moral, and
prudential reasons, the bishops have stated that they will not support
a bill that penalizes the woman since she is most often the abortion's
second victim. Since criminalizing the woman is not necessary to
legally stop abortion and does not further the pastoral need to bring
the woman full emotional and spiritual healing, it serves no
legitimate purpose and can even be counterproductive to the legal,
pastoral, and cultural goals of the Gospel of Life.
While this is a
threshold issue, the bishops also examine pro-life legislation to
determine whether it is reasonably calculated to furthering the end of
abortion, whether it has a realistic possibility of withstanding
constitutional scrutiny, whether it jeopardizes existing pro-life
policies, and whether it is consistent with the work of the bishops of
the United States and the Holy See. Assuming a revision to the
proposed bill would eliminate the penalty for the woman, the bishops
would further examine the bill on these points.
Please be assured
that while the bishops may differ with you on these points, they
remain fully committed to ending the horror of abortion in our
country. The bishops take seriously their apostolic functions as
shepherds and teachers called to build a culture of life. I know that
you will treat them and their decisions with courtesy and respect as
we strive to work together, creating a united force against the
culture of death.
Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
Christopher T. Dodson
Executive Director
General Counsel
cc: Rep.
Sally Sandvig
Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila
Most Rev. Paul A. Zipfel
Rachelle Sauvageau