Overturning Roe v. Wade is 'opportunity' and 'challenge' to serve mothers, Baltimore archbishop says

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Archbishop of Baltimore William Lori spoke Friday with gratitude for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it a "historic ruling."

Lori celebrated the outcome and said the end of constitutionally protected abortion was something he and others had been praying to see for decades.

However, Lori also clarified that the road to a better society was far from over, stating that the church, pro-life voters and conservative politicians would now need to step up and ensure the health and safety of all expecting mothers.

"It gives us the opportunity to build a new a culture of life and to reengage the issue with our fellow citizens," Lori told the Vatican's press service. "And it is also a challenge to us to redouble our efforts to serve women in difficult pregnancies and to protect both the mother and the child, which is something we are very, very committed to doing.

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"There is a tremendous network in the church in the United States that is ready, willing and able to do this and, in fact, is already doing it and has done it for decades."

Archbishop William Lori, head of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, greets parishioners after delivering Sunday Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church July 14, 2019, in Randallstown, Md.  (Mary F. Calvert for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Archdiocese of Baltimore was the first Catholic diocese in the United States, and the archbishop of Baltimore is often considered an episcopal "first among equals" due to the historic importance of the position.

"I think we simply have to be a steady, loving voice in the church and in society, one that speaks up for women in difficult circumstances and their unborn children and their children who have come to birth and simply provide a witness of love and service to the culture around this," Lori said. 

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Catholics stand to gain ground on social issues should the Supreme Court continue to take on cases that could overturn federal policy.

A celebration outside the Supreme Court Friday, June 24, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas pitched the possibility of revisiting multiple rulings in the aftermath of overturning Roe v. Wade.

"In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell," Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion. "Because any substantive due process decision is "demonstrably erroneous," […] we have a duty to "correct the error" established in those precedents."

Griswold v. Connecticut was a landmark 1965 case that ruled the use of contraception between two married individuals was a matter of privacy and constitutionally protected.

Lawrence v. Texas in 2003 dealt with homosexual sex between consenting parties, and Obergefell v. Hodges treaded the same territory in 2015 to rule gay marriage as a constitutionally protected right to privacy.