Marking the Supreme Court’s historic Dobbs decision last year, all are invited to attend a Mass for Life on June 24 – the first anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
The Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, 151 N. Warren St., Trenton.
Mass participants are then welcome to participate at the Rally for Life, organized by New Jersey Right to Life, which will follow at 11 a.m. nearby at the Statehouse, 145 W. State Street, a short walk from the Cathedral.
These annual events normally took place close to Jan. 22 – the date of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal at the federal level. This year in January, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., celebrated Mass in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, which was followed by a “Standing Together for Life” seminar, inviting people of faith to collaborate among various Respect Life and social justice ministries to promote a culture of life.
On June 24, 2022, the SCOTUS’ 5-4 ruling on Dobbs. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization determined that in fact there is no constitutional right to abortion in the United States.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the court’s majority opinion. Casey v. Planned Parenthood is the 1992 decision that affirmed Roe. Alito was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
This reversal returned abortion policy decisions to the state level. Of key importance in states like New Jersey, with some of the most permissive abortion on demand policies, the battle for protection of the unborn continues.
The Church needs quality Catholic journalism now more than ever. Please consider supporting this work by signing up for a SUBSCRIPTION (click HERE) or making a DONATION to The Monitor (click HERE). Thank you for your support.