Roe v Wade Debacle Word on the Week 25th February 2017.
There were two important funerals this week. They indicated the end of a sad chapter in social affairs on both sides of the Atlantic. Unfortunately the damage done continues to destroy lives despite the fact that both the deceased wished they could have not done what they did!

Cardinal Connell, who was buried yesterday, was catapulted into the 21st Century when he saw the RTE programme ‘Cardinal Secrets’ in 2002. His own secrets, largely sins of omission, were soon to be uncovered. He protected his Priests against the child abuse charges and used what he called ‘mental reservation’ to justify remarks which proved false. He later expressed bitter regret and ‘asked for forgiveness from those so shamefully harmed’.

It must have been a lonely place officiating at his funeral and Archbishop Martin was grateful for the Anglican Archbishop Michael Jackson presence.

The other funeral that of Norma McCorvey, took place in the USA. Norma had a difficult childhood. Her father deserted the family and the mother was an alcoholic. When she was 10 she stole money and ran away with a girlfriend, was caught and spent the next 6 years in State Institutions. She described this time as the happiest of her life. An unfortunate marriage followed when she was beaten by her husband both before and after her pregnancy. She left the marriage, gave birth to Melissa (who was later adopted by her mother), began drinking heavily and came out as a lesbian.

She had a second child at 18 which she had adopted. On becoming pregnant again she looked for an abortion claiming that she had been raped in the hope of obtaining a legal abortion. This failed and she ended up with Attorneys who took a case (she was given the alias of Jane Roe) against the Dallas County District Attorney, Henry Wade. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where on a 7 – 2 majority the path was cleared for abortion (with certain restrictions) to become a fundamental right under the U S Constitution. The baby at the centre of the case had long since been born and given up for adoption. Norma lived with her partner counselling in pro-abortion clinics, confessed that she had lied about being raped and attended pro-choice Rally’s.

In 1994 she published her autobiography and claimed to be a born-again Christian. She campaigned against abortion and after her second book she renounced lesbianism. She converted to Catholicism, testified before the Senate and continued to petition the Supreme Court to undo their decision. She remained active protesting against Obama’s pro-abortion stance. No doubt, like the Archbishop, she would have wished to have done things in her life differently.

In the Bible the main character who would have liked to have done things differently was Judas. After his betrayal of Jesus for the price of a slave (30 pieces of silver) he repented and brought the money back to the Priests and Elders who refused to take it. Judas threw the money into the Temple and with no one to turn to, committed suicide (St Matthew Chapter 27 verses 3-5).

Fortunately both Desmond Connell and Norma McCorvey had someone to turn to namely the Lord Jesus Christ. We also can read and believe the invitation, “Turn to me and be saved all you ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other” (Isaiah Chapter 45 verse 22). There is no class or creed barriers nor does it matter what your station is in life – it is inclusive. And it reaches to you – trust Jesus.