They said no for a third time, which led Bishop Barron to ask, “What exactly are we dialoguing about?”
“In any real dialogue, it seems to me, there's a kind of give and take,” he explained. “There's a willingness to each side going a few steps in the other direction.”
That’s why, he said, “I pressed the matter with the politicians.”
“Are you willing to give on this question at all, if protecting the life of a baby writhing on the table having survived an abortion procedure – if that's too much – again, what precisely are we dialoguing about?’
He ended with a “very blunt and specific” message.
“I would say to Catholics, especially, who are supporting the right to abortion, ‘Okay, are you willing to support this born-alive legislation, as a first step?’” he emphasized. “Are you willing to say, ‘Yes, we should protect the lives of a child that survived an abortion procedure?’ If you're not, again, I don't know exactly what the point or purpose of the dialogue would be.
“I think that's why, to some degree, we've come to an impasse on this matter,” he concluded.
The video complemented a recent New York Post opinion piece by Bishop Barron in which he challenged “pro-abortion-rights Catholic politicians.”
“If you’re truly interested in dialoguing with the church on this crucial matter, show a little profile in courage and support born-alive legislation,” he wrote. “If you can take this small step in the direction of protecting innocent life, I’ll know you’re serious about the conversation.”
Former Washington, D. C., correspondent Katie Yoder covered pro-life issues, the U.S. Catholic bishops, public policy, and Congress for Catholic News Agency. She previously worked for Townhall.com, National Review, and the Media Research Center.