Politics
Illinois Anti-Abortion Group Calls Out Cardinal Cupich for DNC Prayer
Cardinal Blase Cupich opens the Democratic National Convention with a prayer on Aug. 19, 2024. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)
An Illinois anti-abortion group is condemning Cardinal Blase Cupich for giving the invocation on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, when the party is set to nominate what the group calls “the most pro-abortion presidential ticket in U.S. history.”
“It is incredibly disheartening to see a local church leader who once aligned himself with our cause participate in such a deeply anti-life, anti-family event as the DNC,” Illinois Right to Life president Mary Kate Zander said in a statement.
Cupich, who leads the Archdiocese of Chicago, did not directly address reproductive rights during his Monday prayer, though restoring the national right to abortion has been a recurring theme at the DNC and is part of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential platform.
Instead, Cupich’s message focused on unity and peace.
“We are a nation composed of every people and culture, united not by the ties of blood, but by the profound aspirations of life and freedom, justice and unbound hope,” Cupich said. “These aspirations are why our forebearers saw America as a beacon of hope, and with your steady guidance, Lord, may we remain so today. In every generation, we are called to renew these aspirations, to reweave the fabric of America.”
Cupich went on to say that America lives up to those aspirations “when we confront our failures to root out ongoing injustices in our national life, especially those created by moral blindness and fear of the other.”
The archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Right to Life’s criticism.
When the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 reversed abortion protections provided by Roe v. Wade, Cupich released a statement praising the Dobbs decision.
“We welcome this important ruling and the opportunity it creates for a national conversation on protecting human life in the womb and promoting human dignity at all stages of life,” Cupich said at the time.
He said the decision should reawaken a national dialogue about the responsibility to care for pregnant women and for children.
“Because this ruling regrettably will have little impact on abortion in Illinois, as there are virtually no restrictions here, we will continue to advocate strongly for legal protections for unborn children,” Cupich said.
For the DNC, Planned Parenthood set up a mobile clinic that’s providing “free vasectomies, medication abortion, and emergency contraception.”
“Accessibility is a core value at Planned Parenthood and the mobile health clinic helps us live that value and bring care to more people that need it,” said Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers.
Illinois has become a destination for residents of states where abortions have been banned.
The Chicago Abortion Fund said since the Dobbs decision, the fund has distributed more than $7.5 million “in direct support for appointment costs and travel support.”
Contact Amanda Vinicky: @AmandaVinicky | [email protected]
