Dr. Chad Pecknold received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 2005, and since 2008 has been Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology in the School of Theology at the Catholic University of America. The author of several books on the significance of St. Augustine’s thought for contemporary philosophical and theological thought, he also frequently engages in debates in the public square. He writes a weekly column as editor in the US The Catholic Heraldand also writes regularly for other publications such as First things first, Wall Street Journalon New York Postand National review. Dr. Pecknold is also president of the Academy of Catholic Theology.
After the decision of the Supreme Court on abortion in Dobbs v. JacksonYou began your speech at the March for Life with the phrase Carthage must be destroyed (“Carthage must be destroyed”). The truth is that despite the decision, Carthage’s supporters pushed very radical abortion laws in several Democratic-controlled states.
For those of us trying to protect the unborn, this is a partial victory because the decision establishes that abortion is not a right, but what it does not make is the positive point, namely that life must be protected by law. Some pro-life but somewhat liberal American commentators said it was a victory for democracy because it returned decision-making powers to the states. In my opinion, returning to the states the decision of whether or not you can kill your baby is not really a victory for democracy.
Each country can decide whether it wants to be Rome or Carthage.
Exactly. And it doesn’t solve the underlying evil, because the Supreme Court has a long-standing habit of avoiding legislation about morality. If we want to destroy Carthage – which sacrificed its own children – if America wants child sacrifice to stop, then the next great goal is an affirmative declaration that every human being must be protected by federal law. As you said, with the current situation, you can find 30 countries where there is no abortion and 20 where abortion is allowed until birth, and it is still Carthage. The great hope for the world and for the United States will come when the Supreme Court, with a future Republican president and Congress, say “enough is enough.” If we remain Carthage, we will fall.
Has the number of abortions changed since this decision?
Yes, the number of abortions has decreased, but not as much as we would like. If a million children die in abortion clinics, should we celebrate when only 750,000 die or when we go from half a million to 300,000? However, abortions have decreased and every human life saved should be celebrated. In Texas alone we are talking about 10,000 lives saved. How many cities have 10,000 people? This should be celebrated. However, there are hundreds of thousands killed every year, and that is Carthage.
How much power does the abortion industry have in the United States?
The abortion industry is a huge force because it is a religious issue for the liberal ethos. The Enlightenment gave rise to the liberal order we have now, which places great importance on the individual and the power of decision-making. Liberal constitutionalism focuses on the sovereignty of the self rather than the sovereignty of the country, and this has religious and political significance. A person has the power to decide everything that happens in his body: “my body, my decision” – my decision to kill and no one can tell me otherwise. It’s a political demand, but it’s also a religious one: abortion functions as a sacrament because even if you’re a woman who’s never had an abortion, and if you’re a liberal, you’re committed to the idea that others should be able to they do. It is religious in nature and you must protect it at all costs. There are childless women who brag about their abortions as a good thing. The old liberals talked about abortion as a necessary evil, but today’s religious liberals see it as a sacrament to be protected. For them, abortion is not only a political battle, it is also a religious battle and therefore no rational discussion is possible. They are deeply attached to this belief in abortion; they love it and shout it from the rooftops. It is a new civil religion that does not have many supporters, but its followers are extremely powerful.
So they are a minority that controls the mainstream media.
Yes, but those who identify as unaffiliated, agnostic, atheist, or awake are a minority compared to the 80% of Americans who identify as Christians. In addition, Christians have a much higher birth rate than atheists, who hardly reproduce, and therefore this minority needs power and a religious method that aims to destroy Christianity. That is why they attack a country like Hungary, because Hungary dares to remember its Christian past, and they react violently against the pillars of Western civilization: Greek philosophy, Roman law, the rule of law, order, and the Christian religion. This agnostic, atheistic, awakened minority religion evokes all these pillars. It is a civilizational conflict in which this powerful religious and political minority challenges the ideals of a much older civilization. So the most important thing we can do is wrest civic and market power from this minority.
Planned Parenthood, the multinational abortion provider, has been embroiled in numerous scandals and yet appears to enjoy unlimited immunity.
Yes, Planned Parenthood is an international organization closely tied to the George Soros world, the Davos world, a world where a very small liberal oligarchy rules our lives from the top down. It is ironic that they constantly defend something called democracy when they have no interest in any majority they cannot manipulate. When the majority resists their manipulation, it is declared undemocratic. This is why Hungary can never be democratic, no right-wing party can be democratic, Meloni can never be democratic, VOX can never be democratic, etc. If people vote the “wrong” way, they cannot be democratic. Regarding Planned Parenthood, like other international organizations and social networks, it seems that it is not accountable to anyone. There is no democratic accountability for Planned Parenthood. Therefore, countries that want to protect their sovereignty must not allow these organizations. I think more and more people are realizing that if they don’t fight, they will lose their country and that they have to keep liberalism at bay through laws and political decisions. You have to say no to Planned Parenthood, and I know that’s hard because this organization has a religious mission.
As you also say, in order not to lose your country, you cannot compromise your core values.
This is true. You give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. You cannot give them anything; you cannot compromise with them. For example, with the Catholics, they want women priests, then women bishops, then a woman pope; they don’t just want gay marriage, they want the celebration of sodomy. They want to take it down and will never be satisfied until they get it. This is why dialogue and compromise are stupid: because they are the enemy. We have forgotten that enemies exist and that, on a civilizational level, Christianity is a political concept. Being a Christian is certainly a personal matter, but it matters to “us” as well. And for this reason, it also faces political threats. Christians must be political realists and appreciate the threats against their faith, because it is not only a threat against their personal faith, it is a threat against the faith of their children and the faith of their neighbors, and against the way of life of their communities. I tell my students that the development of a Catholic political realism is deeply rooted in the truths of faith and important to our souls and our salvation, but it also takes seriously the defense of Christianity as a vision of social and political order.
Democracies have to make decisions about how we want to live in the future, and I don’t see how any sane person can look at Hollywood actors having their children makeovers and say, “We want to go this way; this is our future.” This is irrational; it is a bad religion. I think states should choose the good religion over the bad because what they can’t do is be neutral about religion. The mask of the liberal myth of neutrality has fallen and we must choose a path, a true path, for the future of our people.