Twin Cities Archdiocese Welcomes End Of Roe v. Wade

ST. PAUL, MN — Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"The Supreme Court’s decision to allow states to determine abortion laws fills my heart with a combination of sadness and gratitude," Hebda wrote.

"In 2022 – with all of our scientific advancements that prove beyond any doubt that the CHILD inside a mother’s womb is human – it troubles me that in the moment of extreme vulnerability for both the woman and the baby that the violence of abortion is even discussed and debated as a good. How did our hearts become so hardened?"

The court's 6-3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization was a thorough repudiation of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and a subsequent case on fetal viability, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. It also sets the stage for a patchwork of state laws across the country and a seismic shift in abortion rights.

"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences, and far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division," Justice Samuel Alito Jr. wrote for the majority.

"It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

The court's three liberal justices — Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — dissented in what was the most anticipated decision of the court's current term after the leaked opinion draft. They criticized what they called the majority's "cavalier approach to overturning this Court's precedents."

Minnesota has the most liberal abortion laws among its neighbors. Under Minnesota law, abortions are allowed up to 20 weeks during pregnancy.

Meanwhile, North and South Dakota have abortion bans that are set to take effect following the decision. Iowa and Wisconsin already have laws on the books that ban abortion

"In closing, I implore all women and men of good will to join together in prayer and continue working for the end of legal abortion in Minnesota and in the United States," Hebda added.

"Our elected officials need to hear that we care about moms, dads, babies and families, and that together, we will support them. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us and for the protection of all life, from the moment of conception to natural death."