Policy & Advocacy
Testimony of Archbishop John Roach (1981)
Testimony of Archbishop John Roach, President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, November 5, 1981
Archbishop John Roach, speaking as President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution in support of S.J. Res. 110 (the Hatch Amendment), a proposed constitutional amendment intended to overturn the effects of Roe v. Wade and allow legal protection for unborn children.
Archbishop Roach's testimony presents a religious, ethical, constitutional, and scientific argument against legalized abortion. He argues that unborn children are human beings entitled to legal protection, that Roe v. Wade undermined both human rights and respect for life, and that a constitutional amendment such as the Hatch Amendment was needed to restore legislative authority to protect unborn children.