Jun 16, 2022 3 min read

This is in response to two recent op-eds by Jamie Stiehm: “The proverbial fence: Which side are you on?” and “A sad situation, the state of the nation,” in which she makes numerous perverse and ruthless remarks about several Supreme Court judges, and Catholics, relevant to the recent leak:

Stiehm states that The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision came in an era of expanding civil and women’s rights, causing no controversy at the time. And she goes on to say ad infinitum that it has been upheld without controversy ever since. Response: In fact, even distinguished pro-abortion jurists have slammed the decision for being without constitutional foundation. Harvard law professors Archibald Cox, Alan Dershowitz and Laurence Tribe have said the decision was fatally flawed. Even Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it was lawmakers, not judges, who should decide the issue.

Stiehm also states, “On this side of the fence, it’s our (women’s) life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Life chances are much greater with equality, freedom and autonomy.” Response: But what about the life of the conceived child? Never once did the Supreme Court declare abortion itself to be a constitutional right. Instead the Supreme Court said: “The judiciary at this point in the development of man’s knowledge is not in a position to speculate as to the answer.” Then the High Court made a key admission: “If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant’s case (Roe), of course collapses, for the fetus’ right to life is then guaranteed specifically by the 14th Amendment”.

Stiehm unabashedly and without reservation stated that since “the majority of the Supreme Court Justices are Catholic, they are ‘Radical Right.'” Response: Because she can swipe with such a broad brush, she needs to look out for Orthodox Jews, Fundamentalists, Mormons, and Muslims, who share many of the same beliefs. Furthermore, have no fear, Jamie Stiehm, because in your court you have both professed Catholics Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden (who by the way never voted against the Hyde Amendment nor the Mexico City Policy as a 36-year senator or eight-year vice president, but miraculously professed opposition to both when declaring candidacy for the presidency in 2019).

The abortion issue isn’t merely a religious debate. It’s a matter of justice for human beings, and basic morality. Such disinformation displayed by Stiehm leads to division, not to intelligent discussion. The fact that she is a nationally syndicated columnist is shameful.

Jerry Falso

Washington