EWTN News portal reports on a U.S. Department of Justice report detailing how the Biden administration “weaponized” federal law against pro-life activists, alongside other news of legal challenges to state laws protecting unborn children and federal policies enabling mail-order abortion drugs. This article, while reporting on secular legal and political matters, reveals a profound spiritual crisis: the systematic denial of Christ the King’s dominion over civil society and the consequent persecution of those who uphold His immutable law, a direct fruit of the modernist apostasy that has secularized governance and rendered the state an instrument of moral iniquity.
The State as Persecutor: A Consequence of Laicism
The report from the U.S. Department of Justice under the current administration details how the Biden administration “weaponized” the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act against pro-life advocates. This included monitoring their “constitutionially protected advocacy,” withholding evidence, attempting to screen jurors based on religion, and pursuing “significantly harsher sentences for pro-life defendants than violent pro-abortion defendants.” Such actions are not merely political disagreements but a manifestation of a state that has explicitly rejected the sovereignty of Christ the King.
Pius XI, in his encyclical Quas Primas, unequivocally stated: “The state must leave the same freedom to the members of Orders and Congregations… who are indeed the most valiant helpers of the Pastors of the Church and contribute most to the expansion and establishment of Christ’s Kingdom, either by combating the triple concupiscence of the world through religious vows, or by striving for perfection and endeavoring that the holiness, which according to the will of the Divine Founder is to adorn the Church and make it known, may shine eternally and with ever greater splendor before the eyes of all men.” He further warned: “When God and Jesus Christ – as we lamented – were removed from laws and states and when authority was derived not from God but from men, the foundations of that authority were destroyed, because the main reason why some have the right to command and others have the duty to obey was removed. For this reason, the entire human society had to be shaken, because it lacked a stable and strong foundation.”
The targeting of pro-life activists, who merely advocate for the most fundamental human right – the right to life of the unborn – demonstrates a state that has embraced the “secularism of our times, so-called laicism, its errors and wicked endeavors” condemned by Pius XI. This laicism, which denies Christ’s reign over nations, inevitably leads to the persecution of those who uphold divine law. The state, having severed itself from its divine mandate, becomes an arbiter of “rights” that contradict the natural law and divine revelation.
The Sanctity of Life: A Divine Law Above Human Legislation
The article highlights various legal challenges to state laws protecting unborn children, such as the lawsuit against Arkansas laws. Plaintiffs argue these laws are “unconstitutional per the state constitution” and “lack any rational relationship to protecting life, health, or any other legitimate state interest.” This legalistic argumentation completely disregards the inherent dignity and right to life of the unborn, a truth enshrined in natural law and unequivocally affirmed by the Church.
From the perspective of integral Catholic faith, the right to life is not a matter of political opinion or constitutional interpretation but an immutable divine law. The Fifth Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” applies unequivocally to the innocent unborn. The Church has consistently taught that human life begins at conception and must be protected from that moment. Any law that permits or promotes the destruction of innocent life is intrinsically evil and carries no true moral authority. As Pius IX stated in The Syllabus of Errors, “Moral laws do not stand in need of the divine sanction, and it is not at all necessary that human laws should be made conformable to the laws of nature and receive their power of binding from God.” (Proposition 56). The attempt to frame the protection of unborn life as an “unconstitutional” infringement on a woman’s “rights” is a direct consequence of a society that has rejected God’s law in favor of subjective human autonomy.
The lawsuit’s mention of ectopic pregnancies, where the mother’s life is at risk, highlights a tragic medical reality. However, even in such dire circumstances, the direct and intentional killing of the unborn child remains morally impermissible. The Church teaches that medical interventions aimed at saving the mother’s life, even if they indirectly result in the death of the child (e.g., removing a pathological fallopian tube), are permissible under the principle of double effect, provided the direct intention is to save the mother, not to kill the child. The article’s framing, however, suggests a broader interpretation that aligns with the abortion industry’s agenda, rather than the Church’s nuanced moral teaching.
The Erosion of Conscience Rights and the Primacy of God’s Law
The ruling by a federal judge in Oregon, which found that a state law requiring insurance plans to cover abortion and contraception violated the constitutional rights of Oregon Right to Life due to a lack of conscience exemptions, is presented as a “victory.” While seemingly positive for the pro-life group, this ruling underscores a deeper problem: the state’s assertion of power to compel actions that violate conscience, and the need for legal “exemptions” for fundamental moral truths.
The Church’s teaching is clear: the state has no authority to compel citizens to act against their conscience, especially when those actions involve intrinsic evils. Pius XI, in Quas Primas, emphasized that “the annual celebration of this solemnity will also remind states that not only private individuals, but also rulers and governments have the duty to publicly honor Christ and obey Him.” He further stated that “Christ the Lord, taking advantage of the opportunity, called Himself King… and solemnly declared that all power in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.” This divine authority supersedes all human law. The very need for a “conscience exemption” for the protection of unborn life reveals a state that has strayed far from its divine mandate, forcing its citizens to seek legal protection for what should be an undeniable moral imperative.
The letter from over 70 pro-life groups urging the DOJ to “stop siding with the abortion drug industry against pro-life states” further illustrates the conflict between divine law and secular governance. The groups highlight the “harm of the federal policy allowing mail-order abortion drugs on both women and the integrity of state laws.” This is a direct consequence of a federal government that, having rejected the moral authority of the Church and the natural law, actively undermines the efforts of states to protect life. The state, instead of being a minister of God for good (Romans 13:4), becomes an instrument of evil, facilitating the destruction of innocent lives and trampling upon the moral convictions of its citizens.
The Silence on Ultimate Accountability and the Final Judgment
The article, while detailing legal battles and political maneuvering, remains entirely within the framework of secular jurisprudence and political advocacy. It fails to articulate the ultimate spiritual reality: the final judgment of Christ the King. Pius XI, in Quas Primas, explicitly stated that the annual celebration of Christ the King “will remind them of the final judgment, in which Christ, whom not only was cast out of the state, but was also forgotten and ignored through contempt, will very severely avenge these insults, because His royal dignity demands that all relations in the state be ordered on the basis of God’s commandments and Christian principles, both in the issuing of laws and in the administration of justice, as well as in the education and formation of youth in sound doctrine and purity of morals.”
The focus on legal victories or defeats, while important in the temporal order, can obscure the eternal consequences of rejecting God’s law. The true “victory” lies not merely in a court ruling but in the conversion of hearts and societies to Christ the King. The article’s silence on this ultimate accountability reflects the very secularism it purports to critique, reducing a profound spiritual battle to mere political and legal wrangling. The faithful are called not only to advocate for just laws but to recognize that all earthly powers are subject to the supreme judgment of Christ, who will render to each according to their deeds.
Conclusion: The Enduring Sovereignty of Christ the King
The events described in the article – the persecution of pro-life activists, the legal challenges to protecting unborn life, and the erosion of conscience rights – are symptomatic of a civil society that has explicitly rejected the public reign of Christ the King. This rejection, rooted in the errors of laicism and modernism, leads inevitably to the state becoming an instrument of moral chaos and the persecution of those who uphold divine law.
The Church’s teaching, as articulated by Pius XI in Quas Primas, remains the only true foundation for lasting peace and justice: “Then at last… so many wounds can be healed, then there will be hope that the law will regain its former authority, sweet peace will return again, swords and weapons will fall from hands, when all willingly accept the reign of Christ and obey Him, and every tongue will confess that our Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of the Father.” Until civil societies acknowledge this fundamental truth, the faithful must continue to uphold the immutable law of God, even in the face of persecution, trusting in the ultimate triumph of Christ the King.
Source:
Justice Department report: Biden administration targeted pro-life activists (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 18.04.2026