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4 years agoon
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CalMattersSenate Bill 24 would require California’s public universities to provide the chemical method of abortion to college women. It would be a needless expansion of the practice of abortion, and Gov. Gavin Newsom should veto it.
This measure would not be a wise investment. The Department of Finance points this out in its statement of opposition, citing the diversion of finances from other more worthwhile investments and the lack of expertise in the University of California and California State University systems to administer the program.
Six months ago, Gov. Newsom took a courageous stand by instituting a moratorium on carrying-out the state’s death penalty, citing statistics showing that the state-sanctioned practice was “unevenly and unfairly applied to people of color, people with mental disabilities, and people who cannot afford costly legal representation.”
Many of us support the governor’s action because of the moral imperative we all share to respect the dignity of human life.
The use of the death penalty is no longer necessary and is an obstacle to the social promotion of the dignity of the human person.
Those of us who hold to this moral principle assert that there is even greater moral clarity regarding the practice of state-sanctioned abortions inflicted on many of the same populations cited by the governor, as well as on other vulnerable groups.
In the case of abortions, fetuses gestating in their mothers’ wombs are clearly innocent. They are unnecessarily condemned because of a lack of moral vision and will. At its root, the practice of abortion is a “human error” that is “irreversible and irreparable.”
Gov. Newsom should consider a moratorium on the use of abortion because it is “unevenly and unfairly applied” to people of color and people who are poor, and used for the selective abortion of girls, and those with disabilities.
He should begin by vetoing SB 24, and call for a more thorough documentation and informed dialogue on how to best serve young women and the unborn.
About the Authors
Jaime Soto is Bishop of The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, Bishopsoto@scd.org. Jessica Manzo is a student at Sacramento State University, and vice president of the Sac State Newman Center, jessicamanzo1221@gmail.com. They wrote this commentary for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.
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