Introduction

This chapter presents the groundwork for discussion of the Catholic Church's role in the contemporary politics of abortion. It deals with a brief description of the Catholic Church's teachings on abortion, and outlines the history of restrictive abortion legislation in the United States. The chapter describes the content of Roe v. Wade, the court's 1973 decision effectively legalizing abortion, and also outlines the strategies adopted by forces seeking to have that decision negated. It examines the court's ruling in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, and suggests some of the challenges and opportunities that ruling presented to the Catholic Church and the rest of the pro-life movement. Contemporary Catholic moral theology holds that abortion, as an example of unjustifiable killing, is always an intrinsic moral evil. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.