This letter was sent to Governor Murphy of NJ during lent of this year after passing abortion expanding legislation.
March 9, 1922
The Honorable Philip D. Murphy
Governor of New Jersey
State House
PO Box 001
Trenton, New Jersey 08625 Re: Abortion Law
Dear Governor Murphy:
When I was a little girl, I loved Bible class and I remember being delightfully captivated when first learning of the story surrounding the birth of Our Savior, Jesus, on Christmas Day and the journey that Mary and Joseph made when there was no room at the inn. Poor and homeless (as some mothers-to-be are today) our Blessed Mother lovingly accepted poverty and placed the infant Jesus, our God and Redeemer, in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. That same excitement and joy of Jesus’ birth that I felt as a child in bible class remains in my heart to this day, and especially at Christmastime when we take time to reflect on the reason for the season.
Sadly, in horrifying contrast, I am also reminded of the story of King Herod, a tyrant drunk with power and wanting to be the only king, who ordered the massacre of all infants in an attempt to get rid of the baby Jesus. In today’s so-called ‘civilized’ society, one has to ask: How does your signing of abortion bill S49/6260 differ from the barbaric King Herod decree of over 2,000 years ago?
In a gross misrepresentation of NJ residents, and as indicated in a recent article of The Monitor Magazine, the bill was rushed through in less than a week in an improper and unsatisfactory manner due to “…. little time to offer our input and feedback” and “the voting roll call includes six pro-abortion legislators who were voted out or are retiring.” Also cited within the article is part of the New Jersey’s Catholic Bishops’ statement, which reads, “Perhaps the legislators who rushed through this Act in the waning moments of their terms did not want citizens to understand fully its inhuman and lethal consequences.”
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution is clear: “… nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law.” The Supreme Court never declared abortion itself to be a constitutional right.
In light of what has been pointed out above, this legislation should be considered unacceptable and invalid and declared null and void.
Governor, you are Catholic, and while abortion is a human rights issue and not a Catholic one, you are aware that the sanctity of life from conception to natural death is one of the basic tenets of the faith. The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred and that everyone has a right to life, which should be protected and valued at every stage. And, as you know, the Catholic Church is against abortion in all circumstances and teaches that life begins at conception. And, in what can be referred to as “Divine Ultrasound,” God tells Jeremiah in 1:1 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.” This verse applies to you and I, Governor, as it does all humans as Jesus is saying that He thought of each one of us before He called us into being;” and therefore, our right to life is a natural right and is God-given.
As if that were not enough, an entire network of abortion alternatives for unplanned/unwanted pregnancies already exist in NJ that absolutely erase any need or reason for this regulation, chief among them being the adoption option and the NJ Safe Haven Infant Protection Act.
Governor, this abortion law is immoral since it calls for the unnecessary taking of innocent human life, and can be aptly labeled a “modern-day King Herod” ruling on the killing of unborn children.
So, as a fellow human (having been formed in the womb by God), a voting resident of this State and a practicing Catholic, I prayerfully implore you to do whatever is necessary to abandon, renounce and rescind this abortion-expanding legislation.
Governor, Jesus said we must change and become as little children if we want to enter His kingdom--what better time to do so than this holy season of lent when we are called to go out into ‘the desert,’ unharden our hearts and “Repent and believe the Good News!”
Sincerely,
Theresa Loda