Seattle area Catholics react to overturning Roe v Wade

When the Supreme Court announced it was overturning Roe v Wade on June 24, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commended the decision. Locally, the Washington State Catholic Conference praised the news.

But views were mixed at a Catholic Church in Seattle over the following weekend.

Hortencia Plascencia attended the Spanish language mass at Holy Family Catholic Church in White Center. She’s in favor of the Supreme Court decision and hopes abortion becomes illegal in all 50 states, except when the pregnant person’s life is in danger.

"Porque la vida de un ser humano, desde el momento de la concepción, ya tiene vida. Y ese es un asesinato."

("Because life begins at the moment of conception, so [abortion or intentionally ending a pregnancy] is murder.")

But not everyone here agrees it’s a good idea to make abortion illegal. Elizabeth Cervantes is also Catholic and generally against abortion — but she thinks people should have the right to choose.

"Que nos dieran el valor de voto como mujer, y la opción de decidir."

("That women are valued enough to be given the choice, the ability to choose.")

Cervantes says she’s lost two pregnancies — one in the third trimester — and the experience convinced her that it’s important to trust women to make decisions about their own health.

"Puede ser un aborto instantáneo, y uno no tiene control en eso, entonces lo estarían juzgando como un aborto también."

("Sometimes people have spontaneous abortions [miscarriages], and you have no control over that, but miscarriages could be treated as intentional abortions [if abortion were illegal].")

Cervantes worries that, if abortion were illegal, women having pregnancy complications or miscarriages would have to wait for — and maybe even be denied — medical treatment.

She says she thinks the Catholic Church’s teachings are too simplistic to cover all the situations that can arise during pregnancy.

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Correction: This post previously stated that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade. The bishops are in favor of the decision.