Bishop Knestout says ‘no’ vote on Virginia abortion amendment is ‘clear Christian witness’
The Richmond bishop said opposing Question 1 is a moral responsibility, reinforcing Virginia bishops’ efforts to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment.
Bishop Barry Knestout of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, argued in an Oct. 11 column that opposing the state’s proposed pro-abortion amendment falls squarely within the Church’s moral mission because protecting unborn life forms the foundation of its advocacy on other issues.
Writing in the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Virginian, Bishop Knestout rejected arguments that the Church’s opposition to Ballot Question 1, which voters will decide Nov. 3, amounts to political interference.
“Lest anyone contend this attempt to expand abortion rights is a political matter that is not within the purview of the Church, and that we should not be involved in opposing it, let me be clear: The sanctity of life is the preeminent concern of Catholic Social Teaching,” he wrote.
Bishop Knestout grounded his argument in Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, in which the Pope described Catholic social teaching as a “legacy of wisdom, where we find principles for thought, criteria for discernment and judgment, and concrete guidelines for action.” Although the encyclical primarily addresses artificial intelligence, its broader reflections on human dignity also apply to Virginia’s proposed amendment, the bishop wrote.
Bishop Knestout described the right to life for the unborn as “essential for all other acts of life,” calling it the foundation of the Church’s work for immigrants, workers, the homeless, the poor, the sick, and those affected by war and by racial injustice.
“Without unequivocal advocacy for the unborn, our work on behalf of those affected by other life issues is weakened,” Bishop Knestout wrote.
Invoking Exodus 20:13, which states, “You shall not kill,” Bishop Knestout noted that the sanctity of life “has always been a moral issue for people of faith.” He lamented that the issue has been “pulled into the political realm,” describing it as “a legislative cudgel.”
“The Church avoids politicization of issues, but it does not – and will not – refuse to teach about and act upon the morality of them,” the bishop wrote. “That is the basis for our concerns about this amendment.”
The amendment would establish a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” in the state constitution, and several pro-life advocates have warned that the ballot question’s language is misleading and vague and could allow abortion until birth in some circumstances.
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Bishop Knestout noted that the amendment calls “reproductive freedom” a “fundamental right” four times, arguing that it “cannot be a right if it denies the rights of another.” He quoted Saint Augustine, who wrote, “A law which is not just is not a law.”
The bishop also cited Pope Leo’s statement in the encyclical that when “politics fails to address the tragedies of humanity … the Church – together with other Christian denominations and of other religions – must make her voice heard.”
Bishop Knestout invited the faithful to carefully and prayerfully read the amendment as they approach Election Day, urging voters to read it “with a heart open to what our faith teaches and consider the impact it would have not only upon the unborn whose lives are taken, but upon the fabric of our state for decades to come.”
“As your shepherd, and echoing the words of Pope Leo, I ask you to interpret the challenges presented by the Virginia Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment,” he concluded. “When we identify appropriate ways for living out a clear Christian witness, we will vote NO on Ballot Question 1.”
The column comes amid a broader effort by Bishop Knestout and Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge to defeat Ballot Question 1 and Question 2, which would remove Virginia’s definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman if approved on Nov. 3.
Bishop Burbidge called on Catholics in his diocese to pray and fast throughout October to help defeat both amendments.
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