The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) is proud to have joined with the Vatican, Catholic bishops, and prominent leaders and intellectuals worldwide in calling upon the Secretary General of the United Nations to declare a moratorium on abortion.

CNS President Patrick J. Reilly signed the letter, which was launched by Giuliano Ferrara, editor of the Italian opinion journal Il Foglio.  Among other U.S. signatories are papal biographer George Weigel and Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things. 

The letter, which grew out of an effort to establish a moratorium on abortion in Italy, calls for the protection of human life as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the U.N. in 1948.

The letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon states: “We are calling on you to look at our request for a moratorium on public policies that encourage any form of unjustified or selective enslavement of a human being in the womb through the arbitrary use of the power to annihilate, which violates the right to birth and to motherhood.” 

“Every day we see the terrible damage that the ‘culture of death’ inflicts even on Catholic college campuses,” Reilly said. “College-age women represent the largest age group having abortions in the United States.  A moratorium is an important step toward protecting these women and their babies.”

“‘Pro-choice’ is no choice for Catholics,” Reilly said. “We urge the leaders of all Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S. to support the moratorium and to work to reduce abortions and premarital sexual activity among their students.”