Strategy on Abortion

To the Roman Catholic Church, abortion is officially a grave sin. How to combat it effectively is a problem that has been troubling the nation's Catholic bishops ever since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its liberalized ruling on abortion early in 1973. While oft-shrill, heavily Catholic "right-to-life" committees waged political battles against abortion on all fronts, the bishops largely confined themselves to statements reaffirming church teachings and to limited lobbying in support of some kind of constitutional amendment that would nullify the court's action.

All that changed last week as 255 bishops, at the church hierarchy's 1975 meeting in Washington, D.C., approved a new anti-abortion strategy, a "Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities." The plan marks a sharp shift from uncoordinated, at times strident opposition to abortion to a more reasoned and concerted attack on it. The bishops not only called for a parish-to national-level effort by Catholics but ventured into new territory. They proposed the formation of interdenominational "prolife" groups in all 435 congressional districts to fight for an amendment overturning the court's 1973 decision.

Adamant Opposition. In their effort to broaden the base of their anti-abortion drive, and to mollify potential critics, the bishops were careful to say that the interdenominational campaign is not being run as "an agency of the church, nor is it operated, controlled or financed by the church." Instead, in the studied, ecumenical language of the plan, "it is an agency of the citizens." Obviously, the bishops not only hope to win the backing of anti-abortion Protestants and Jews but also realize that without them an amendment has little chance of adoption.

Before the bishops can convert others to their cause, however, they are going to have to do some educating within their own flock. Admits Bishop James Rausch, general secretary of the conference: "Many of our people aren't sure what the church's positions are." Actually, the church's positions clearly add up to adamant opposition to abortion. Many Catholics, however, are relatively tolerant of abortion in such cases as rape, or when the future mother's life is endangered.

While not in any way retreating from the church's total condemnation of abortion, the bishops have recognized political reality and now call upon government to protect "the unborn child to the maximum degree possible." The "maximum-degree-possible" approach may fall short of the ideal, but to the bishops it has the virtue of being attainable.

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