A Greatly Significant Human Rights Achievement

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly issued the following statement to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case.

“On behalf of more than 2 million Knights of Columbus and their families worldwide, I gratefully commemorate the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. By allowing abortion on demand, including late-term abortions up to birth, Roe had a devastating impact on women and took the lives of over 60 million unborn children. Today, and for generations to come, the Court’s ruling in Dobbs will be viewed as one of the most significant human rights achievements in our nation’s history.

But there is still much to be done. In the Dobbs era, the Knights of Columbus will continue to fight for the lives of the unborn — both in Washington and on the state level — and we will strengthen our support for mothers and their children. Our Founder, Blessed Michael McGivney, had a particular concern for widows and orphans, and the Knights’ mission to support mothers in need and their children is a sacred responsibility we’ve carried for over 140 years.

In keeping with the mission of our Founder, one year ago we launched the ASAP (Aid and Support After Pregnancy) initiative to greatly expand the Knights’ already robust support for pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes. I am proud to announce that Knights across the U.S. and Canada have exceeded their first-year goal by raising more than $5 million to support mothers and their babies.

Additionally, through our Ultrasound Initiative, the Knights of Columbus and our local councils cover the entire cost of ultrasound machines for pregnancy resource centers. Since 2009, the Knights has funded the purchase of 1,730 of these life-saving machines, valued at more than $82 million. We’ve placed ultrasound machines in all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; Canada and other nations across the world, empowering an estimated 1 million mothers to see their unborn babies.

Though tens of thousands of lives have been saved since the Dobbs decision, many U.S. states still offer no protections for the lives of the unborn. At the federal level, the misnamed Women’s Health Protection Act currently before Congress would codify Roe and block new and existing pro-life laws, including those that save the unborn from late-term abortions. Furthermore, Congress must act to maintain the longstanding practice of keeping taxpayer dollars out of the abortion business and ensuring that federal agencies maintain their mission of serving the people — and not serving as facilitators of abortion. In fact, 60% of Americans oppose the use of federal tax dollars to pay for abortions.

In May 2022, Pope Francis addressed a crowd of thousands assembled at St. Peter’s Square and rejected the view that we can “…give birth or take life as we please, as if it were the exclusive consequence of individual choice.”

Instead, the Holy Father reminded us, “Let us remember that life is a gift from God! It is always sacred and inviolable, and we cannot silence the voice of conscience.”

Together, more than 2 million strong, the Knights of Columbus will continue to serve as a voice for the sanctity and dignity of every human life as we join the National March for Life in Washington, D.C.; march with thousands in our state capitals; donate ultrasound machines, food, coats and supplies to mothers and their babies; and pray until abortion becomes unthinkable.”