Archbishop Says Christians Must “Serve as the Conscience of Society” by Standing Against Abortion

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Aug 14, 2019   |   6:40PM   |   San Francisco, California

San Francisco Catholic Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone urged Christians to act as the “moral conscience” of society Sunday as California lawmakers push through a bill to force college campuses to provide abortions.

Catholics throughout California held a novena on Aug. 3 to 11 to ask for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe to stop the radical pro-abortion bill, The Catholic News Service reports.

On Sunday, Cordileone challenged Christians to resist immorality and stand strong for life, according to the Catholic Herald.

“Ultimately God has created us for life and love,” he said. “Let us love then that we may have life and have it to the full.”

Cordileone said there is a crisis in our current society. He noted how people now openly celebrate the killing of unborn babies, calling abortion “progress” and a sign of enlightenment. He brought up politicians who have abandoned moderate positions to become “as pro-abortion as possible in order to make themselves viable candidates,” the report states.

“Is it really possible to retrieve a sense of common decency when we consider what is going on in our country?” he asked.

Cordileone urged Christians not to give up hope. Throughout the Bible and history, he said Christians will find “the certainty of hope for God’s deliverance in his own time and in his own way.”

Right now, he said Christians should commit themselves to the charity of defending life.

“What could be a greater act of charity than to defend those who have no voice with which to defend themselves?” the archbishop said. “It is precisely by such acts of charity on behalf of the poor, defenseless and marginalized that we prepare ourselves for the life of heaven.”

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By helping mothers, unborn babies and others in need, Christians can be a clear witness of God’s love, he said.

Cordileone described the current pro-abortion bill before the California legislature as “dangerous and unprecedented.” He urged people to pray.

State Senate Bill 24 passed the Senate in May, and a final vote in the Assembly is expected later this month. The bill would require all public colleges and universities in California to provide abortion drugs to students on campus for free. The drugs would be offered to students up to 10 weeks of pregnancy beginning Jan. 1, 2023.

Pro-life advocates have been working hard to stop the legislation. They have major concerns about the safety of women, as well as the promotion of unborn babies’ abortion deaths on campuses across the state.

The University of California and the California State University systems also have expressed concerns about the bill. They said they are not prepared to handle the immense costs of providing abortions on campus, according to CBS 13 Sacramento. They pointed to the costs of ultrasound machines, staff training, increased liabilities and more.

Even some abortion supporters oppose the legislation. Former Gov. Jerry Brown, a pro-abortion Democrat, vetoed a very similar bill in 2018, saying the measure was “not necessary” because abortions already are easily accessible to college students.

In his veto message, Brown pointed to a study from the supporters of the bill showing that the average distance to an abortion facility from campus was 5 to 7 miles.

ACTION: Contact California state lawmakers in opposition to the bill.