Covington, Baby-Killing, and Divine Simplicty

By now, you’ve probably seen the bad news of the past week. Here are the most sinister details about two terrible stories. 

Story A: The 16-year old Covington Catholic boy who was vilified for smiling at a Native American. 

Sinister detail #1: In this case, the mainstream media have revealed they are not just the enemy of the truth; they are the enemy of your children.

They did not care to investigate context, details, or interview eyewitnesses before promulgating a fictitious tale. A tale that said white, Catholic, high school boys in MAGA hats mocked a Native American by surrounding him and chanting “build that wall.” They did not care that this story would lead to threats of violence or threats of death. They cared about rushing to push a particular narrative. In doing so, they reveal that they are the enemy of the truth and the enemy of your children. 

Sinister detail #2: The social media mob demonstrated its brute strength and ability to force Bishops, priests, and the high school principal into submission and acceptance of the mainstream narrative.

The Bishop of the Covington archdiocese (who has since apologized), as well as the school principal, threw all of the kids under the bus after pressure from the social media mob. The principal even said they would consider EXPULSION. The power of the social media mob is scary.

Sinister detail #3: Even after the truth was out, many doubled-down on the original narrative and looked for any excuse to blame the Covington boys.

A fake story spread about them wearing blackface at basketball games (anyone who works in a school and knows the concept of “a blackout” knows how absurd this story was). Other stories spread as well. Several individuals did publicly apologize and that’s a good thing.

The Truth: The Covington boys deserve praise for not responding in kind to extended verbal abuse.

Story B: New York’s Passage of the Reproductive Health Act.

Sinister detail #1: The abortion bill allows the killing of viable babies in the third trimester.

Misinformation about the bill spread quickly. I saw a pro-choice advocate explain that the bill only allows abortion after 24 weeks when the mother’s life is directly threatened. This is not true. Here’s the truth that I wrote in response to that person on Facebook: 

The law allows abortion after 24 weeks when it is “necessary to protect the patient’s life or health.” But the problem is in Doe v. Bolton, the court ruled that “health” includes any factor that is physical, emotional, psychological, familial, or related to the woman’s age. 

So, if a woman obtains a doctor’s note related to one of those factors being seriously threatened (e.g. Her emotional health or family stress), then she can legally obtain an abortion *even if* the baby is viable. 

And therein lies the evil of the NY law.

Sinister detail #2: The new law decriminalized abortion entirely.

Here’s a statement from a Pro-choice website to that effect, “The law protects New Yorkers’ right to access safe and legal abortion by taking it out of the penal code and into public health law, which means it cannot be prosecuted as a crime.”

I’m still struggling to understand how this is possible. Suppose a woman obtains an abortion out of pure convenience while carrying a 7-month old baby. Neither the abortion doctor nor the woman can be punished criminally in such a case? 

What about the case of a botched abortion where the baby is born alive? Is the abortion doctor permitted to kill him/her (just like Gosnell) with no recourse to penal sanction?  If true, this is a sinister detail, and I am still seeking clarification on all of the implications of abortion being removed from the penal code. 

What should Catholics Do? 

I definitely don’t have all of the answers, but a few ideas come to mind: 

1) Remain faithful. Pray the rosary. Receive communion. Go to confession. Ask God to show you how you can speak the truth in love in your particular circumstances. This is the best podcast on how to evangelize in everyday life. I love learning from these guys. 

2) Support heroic priests and Bishops. We all know that it’s hard to speak out on tough issues. If you see a priest speaking a difficult truth, write to him in support (and thank him in person if possible!). 

3) Learn the most important facts surrounding tough issues. It’s too much to try and learn all of the details about every single issue. But if you commit to knowing the most important things about abortion, Jesus, same-sex marriage, God, and so forth, then you can lead others to the truth. Pray for conversion and use opportunities that God brings into your life to speak the truth in love. This is the best website I know to learn how to talk about tough issues from a Catholic perspective.

4) Pray that women do not seek abortions. A friend pointed out to me yesterday that even if the law doesn’t change, great change could occur if women stop seeking abortions. For that reason, it’s worth being openly pro-life and helping to lead others there, even if we don’t convince any politicians. Listen to Trent Horn for the best pro-life Catholic voice I know. 

Divine Simplicity [New Episode]

Despite all of that bad news, I have some good news that a new episode comes out tomorrow on Divine Simplicity. My friend Paul Chutikorn joins us to give a primer on the topic from a Thomistic perspective. God’s simplicity (affirmed at the Fourth Lateran Council and First Vatican Council) is at the core of the God of classical theism.

Over at the Classical Theism Podcast, we will continue to defend three pillars of the Catholic Christian worldview: (1) The God of Classical Theism exists, (2) Jesus is our Lord and Messiah, and (3) that He founded the Catholic Church.

This is the right time to defend the Catholic Christian Worldview. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our page on Facebook to get the latest!