Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester spoke against abortion in a recent video, ahead of Planned Parenthood's release of its annual provided care statistics.

“Opposition to abortion is not a doctrine, in the strict sense of the term, but rather a conclusion drawn from moral reasoning and from the findings of objective science,” he said in the YouTube video. “It’s an indisputable fact that human life, which is to say a living human being with a distinctive genetic structure identity, comes into existence at the moment of conception. It’s furthermore a fundamental axiom of ethics that innocent human life ought never to be attacked.” 

The message was posted just days before Planned Parenthood released a report on the care it provides, including abortions. In the report, the group performed 383,860 abortions in 2020. Under “abortion care,” Planned Parenthood said, “Abortion is essential health care that cannot wait for the end of a pandemic or the whims of politicians.”

The report was released not long after many Catholics rejoiced following the Dobbs Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. 

Katie Yoder, a Catholic News Agency writer, noted that Planned Parenthood performed approximately 41% of abortions in the United States in 2020. She added that the group continues to receive government funding for abortions, as it was granted $633.4 million for the 2020–2021 fiscal year. 

Catholic pro-life activists used the report’s release to reignite calls against Planned Parenthood. Students for Life America and Live Action founder Lila Rose recently tweeted concerning the group, “Shut them down now!” 

The Catholic Church has long maintained a strong stance against abortion regardless of evolving biological theories about when life begins, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said. The Catechism guidance reads: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law" (No. 2271). 

A May 2021 Gallup Poll found that the majority of Americans do not support unrestricted access to abortion. Almost half (48%) of those who answered the survey said they believe abortion should be legal only under certain conditions, while 19% said they think abortion should be illegal in all circumstances and 32% said they believe abortion should be legal in all cases. 

Barron, in speaking about President Joe Biden's view on abortion, said in the posted video that one cannot support abortion in the public square while having an opposing internal belief.