January 18, 2017 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Each year on January 22, the Catholic Church in the United States, along with many others, recognizes the anniversary of the flawed Supreme Court decision entitled Roe v Wade. The decision was flawed because it was made on the basis of false information. Two women brought the lawsuit, and later recanted their claims. One said that she was never pregnant, and the other said her pregnancy was not a result of rape as we were previously told. On the basis of false facts, we have seen the massive abortion of over 50 million unborn children since 1973. There was one other flawed Supreme Court decision that fortunately was overturned which was the support of slavery in the United States in the Dred Scott decision.

But why do we commemorate tragic events? Well, it becomes a reminder to us that these events, especially the legalization of abortion in the United States, are injustices that must be overturned. This may not happen all at once. However, any attempt to limit the number of abortions is a step in the right direction. Notwithstanding the present political climate, which might lend some hope to future curtailment of abortion, it is our responsibility as Catholic Christians to work for the elimination of this stain on our national conscience.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.