WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade in a historic decision released Friday that brings a sudden and dramatic end to nearly a half-century of nationwide legalized abortion in the U.S. The opinion, in the Mississippi abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is widely seen as the Supreme Court’s most highly anticipated and consequential ruling since Roe. It not only overturns Roe, the landmark 1973 abortion case, but also Casey v. Planned Parenthood, a 1992 decision that affirmed Roe. "Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each state from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority," the opinion states. "We now overrule these decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives." The decision does not ban or criminalize abortion, nor does it recognize an unborn child's constitutional right to life. But in one, breathtaking stroke, the court’s action sweeps away entrenched legal barriers, created and strictly enforced by the federal judiciary, that for decades have blocked states like Mississippi from heavily restricting or prohibiting the killing of unborn children in the womb. In the process, the decision ushers in a new era of abortion politics in the U.S., with the battleground now shifting to state legislatures. Those democratically elected bodies are now free to debate and regulate abortion as they see fit, as happened throughout American history before the Supreme Court federalized the issue. At the same time, the ruling marks a watershed moment for the Catholic Church and the wider pro-life movement in the United States, which have painstakingly sought Roe’s reversal since the landmark 7-2 decision was handed down on Jan. 19, 1973. The opinion was written by Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett joined the opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. Associate justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan dissented. The outcome of Dobbs came as little surprise, since the final opinion substantially resembled a draft written by Alito in February that was leaked to the press on May 2. In Roe v. Wade, the court ruled that states could not ban abortion before viability, which the court determined to be 24 to 28 weeks into pregnancy. Nearly 20 years later, the court upheld Roe in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The 1992 ruling said that while states could regulate pre-viability abortions, they could not enforce an “undue burden,” defined by the court as “a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion of a nonviable fetus.” Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act, the subject of the Dobbs case, directly challenged both decisions, because it bans abortion weeks after 15 weeks, well before the point of viability. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have inflamed debate and deepened division," the opinion states. "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives," the opinion states. This is a developing story. Please check back with The Catholic Commentator for updates.

Bishop Michael G. Duca will join Pope Francis in praying an Act of Consecration to entrust Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at St. Joseph Cathedral Friday, March 25, 2022, the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School is changing its name but not its mission of educating low-income children in north Baton Rouge. School officials on Feb. 22 announced the school is not renewing its membership with the Cristo Rey network for the 2022-23 school year.  Additionally, it will be renamed Franciscan High School as the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady will retain its sponsorship.

WASHINGTON –  New Roads native Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux has been appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky. Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, 75, from pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Louisville and appointed  Bishop Fabre as his successor. 

Bishop Michael G. Duca announced the appointment of Father Jamin David as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Baton Rouge in a letter addressed to priests, deacons and the Catholic Life Center Community on Jan. 28.