Newsletter August 4, 2022

Will a New Generation of Young People Leave Religion Over Abortion?

Daniel A. Cox

Even As Many Churches Cheer the Overturn of Roe, Pitfalls Remain 

An effort to amend the Kansas state constitution protecting abortion rights has failed in dramatic fashion, garnering only 41 percent of the vote in a deeply red state. The outcome will surely reverberate across the political world, but abortion may have an equally large impact on the United States’ religious landscape.  

The move to repeal the state’s constitution protecting abortion rights was strongly rejected by Kansas voters, but it enjoyed staunch support from the Archdiocese of Kansas City. The New Yorker documents how the Catholic Church became heavily involved in the effort, despite reservations from many in the pews. 

“The main financial backer of Value Them Both is the Catholic Church, which has contributed more than four million dollars. Much of the funding has come from the Archdiocese of Kansas City, led by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, who has said that abortion “entices and encourages women to attack an essential part of their femininity.” Naumann has made clear that he favors legislation that will ban abortion—“protect every unborn child,” as he puts it—and he believes that Biden, a pro-choice Catholic churchgoer who carries a rosary, should not take communion.” 

 Continue reading on American Storylines.