April 18, 2007 Contact: Ed Monahan, Executive Director 1042 Burlington Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601 Phone: 502/875-434 www.ccky.org

The Bishops of Kentucky Applaud the 5-4 Decision of the U.S. Supreme Court Today Upholding the National Partial Birth Abortion Ban

On behalf of all the Bishops of Kentucky, I express our gratitude that the United States Supreme Court today has upheld the right to ban the inhumane partial birth abortion procedure.

This debate is not new for the bishops. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been engaged in the effort to ban partial-birth abortions since this legislative debate began. The Conference of Catholic Bishops has participated in many public debates about different aspects of abortion for decades. We testified before the Kentucky Senate Judiciary Committee on February 18, 1998, seeking support for Kentucky legislation to ban this procedure.

This debate has been particularly contentious and necessary for a very simple reason. Along with many religious leaders of other faiths, we have spoken out against partial-birth abortion as an attack on the most vulnerable members of our society. Partial-birth abortion transcends the accustomed bounds of the abortion debate and is more accurately seen as a form of infanticide. As we stated in our testimony to the Kentucky legislature: "We see in our culture an ongoing conflict between good and evil, a conflict between life and death. As we strive to assure peace and justice, too often it is forgotten that the common good can only be served when the right to life, the right on which all other inalienable rights of the individual rest and from which they develop, is acknowledged and defended.”

We pledge our unwavering commitment to mothers, to babies, and to the women who are living with the traumatic aftermath of abortion.

In 1984 the Kentucky Bishops developed, and continue to sponsor, Opportunities For Life, a statewide telephone hotline staffed by volunteers from all over Kentucky that provides support and assistance to women in crisis pregnancies. This program provides information about resources and support in an effort to inform women of their options if they choose life for their babies.

Catholic Charities has long been a significant player in placing babies for adoption. We have partnered for years with the state in providing this critical service. The Church and its service providers are in a position to offer guidance to women about adoption. Catholic Charities also provides ongoing counseling and parenting education for those who choose to parent their children. We pledge our continued effort to provide these valuable services.

The constitutional right to abortion has resulted in post-traumatic syndrome for many women, and Project Rachel surrounds them with an opportunity for support and reconciliation. Project Rachel is a post-abortion healing program that is available in several locations throughout our dioceses in Kentucky.

The Catholic Conference of Kentucky will continue to seek ways to choose life. We thank all who have worked to ban the partial birth abortion procedure.

Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, O.P.
April 18, 2007

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The Catholic Conference of KY is an agency of the Catholic Bishops, established in 1968. It speaks for the Church in matters of public policy, serves as liaison to government and the legislature, and coordinates communications and activities between the church and secular agencies. There are 406,000 Catholics in the Commonwealth. The Bishops of the four dioceses of Kentucky constitute its Board of Directors.