FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 27, 2023
Media contact:
Jane F. Adolphe
Professor of Law
(US)+1734-827-0943
(Italian) +39-327-201-3435
Janefa111000@gmail.com
ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF DOBBS, SPANISH POLITICIANS,
PROFESSORS, LAWYERS &; NGO REPRESENTATIVES LOOK TO THE UNITED STATES FOR ENCOURAGEMENT
(Madrid, Spain)—June 19, 2023. An international seminar “USA: ABORTION IS NOT A RIGHT. PROTAGONISTS OF THIS CHANGE SPEAK OUT” was held on June 19, in Madrid, Spain on the anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Former Senator, The Honorable Luis Peral, together with a group of non-governmental organizations, held the conference at CEU San Pablo University, in Madrid, Spain.
Among the speakers were John M. Klink (former Diplomat for the Holy See & for the United States Government and current member of the Board of Directors of the International Catholic Jurists Forum, ICJF), and Jane F. Adolphe (Professor at Ave Maria School of Law, Naples, Florida and Founder and Executive Director of ICJF).
Klink spoke about his experience as a diplomat for the Holy See at the United Nations during the Cairo Population Conference (1994) and Beijing Women’s Conference (1995), where the Holy See countered attempts to create an international right to abortion. He offered three conclusions for those battling for life: to rely upon God; to never pit the
opposition as them vs. us; and to promote the formation of youth. He highlighted the role of Saint John Paul II, his clear moral compass, keen understanding of the threat to humanity, close relationships with US Presidents, and effective diplomatic engagement through speeches, messages, addresses, and appointments to the delegations, such as the media specialist, Joaquin Navarro Valls. Of particular importance were the personal letters to the Secretaries of the said conferences that were presented in personal audiences and later published, and the personal private letters sent to every Head of State.
Adolphe discussed the multi-pronged efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade from legislative enactments and constitutional amendments to changes in the composition of the U. S. Supreme Court and the creation of educational centers, such as Ave Maria School of Law (AMSL), in 1999. The founding faculty included AMSL Dean Bernard Dobranski (former Dean of Catholic University, Columbus School of Law, and Dean of the University of Detroit Mercy, School of Law) and Judge Robert Bork (US Court of Appeals, in D.C., former U.S. Attorney General & U.S. Solicitor General), both of whom consulted with Justice Antonin Scalia (U.S. Supreme Court) in the development of the curriculum, which to this day, combines a traditional legal education with an emphasis on how the law intersects with the Catholic intellectual tradition and natural law philosophy. Adolphe also offered a comparative analysis of the American situation with the very different situation in Canada and lamented that Europeans might find more similarities with the Canadian jurisdiction, where there are virtually no equivalent efforts.
Several other distinguished speakers attended the conference in person and online, including Amy Sinclair, President of the Iowa States Senate; Eddie Lucio Jr., Former Texas States Senator; Wendy Wright, President, Christian Freedom International and previously Concerned Women for America (CWA); Joseph Grogan, Director of Domestic Policy with the former President of the United States; Carrie Severino, Professor of Law, President, Judicial Crisis Network; Clarke Forsythe, Legal Expert, Americans United for Life (AUL); William Saunders, Director of the M. A. Program in Human Rights at the Catholic University of American; Alejandro Bermúdez, Tilma Strategies; and Kelsey Wicks. Executive Director, ACI Group / EWTN News.