(Illinois Right to Life) — On Thursday, September 17, Illinois Right to Life responded to news that Cardinal Blase Cupich, on behalf of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity, plans to present Senator Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award at the upcoming “Keep Hope Alive” Benefit on November 3.

“The Church emphasizes that human beings are integrated persons and that we cannot live in spiritual harmony if we are denying even one aspect of the truth of the faith,” Illinois Right to Life president Mary Kate Zander said. “Presenting Dick Durbin with an award – and from the Office of Human Dignity, no less – is an explicitly inconsistent and un-Catholic choice by Cardinal Cupich. Not only does it cause scandal among the faithful by creating confusion, it also puts the Senator’s soul at risk by failing to hold him accountable for his refusal to oppose abortion in the U.S. Senate.”

Senator Durbin’s voting record since his election to the U.S. Senate in 1997 consistently opposes pro-life principles. He has voted against key pro-life legislation, including:

– The Partial–Birth Abortion Ban Act, which prohibited late-term abortion procedures.

– The Pain–Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which sought to ban abortions after 20 weeks, when unborn children may feel pain.

– The Born–Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would have mandated life-saving care for infants born alive during failed abortions.

Additionally, Senator Durbin supported the Women’s Health Protection Act, which aimed to codify Roe v. Wade, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that it was unconstitutional.

Senator Durbin also displayed incongruence with Catholic doctrine in comments he made to then-Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett during her confirmation hearings in 2020. In one exchange, Senator Durbin suggested that Catholics who refer to themselves as “orthodox” do so to separate themselves from mainstream Catholicism. He then asked Coney Barrett whether she considered herself to be an “orthodox Catholic” and inquired as to whether she wears a rosary on her person.

The following year, the Senator – who is a self-proclaimed Catholic – was barred from receiving Holy Communion in his home diocese of Springfield, Illinois as a result of his senatorial votes. Bishop Thomas Paprocki presides over the Diocese of Springfield.

Cardinal Cupich has a history of toeing the line when it comes to the issue of abortion. In August 2024, he accepted an invitation to offer the opening prayer at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held in Chicago. Support for abortion has appeared in the Democratic National Committee’s party platform since 1980. The Cardinal’s predecessor, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, was invited to speak at the DNC in 1996, but he declined.

Illinois Right to Life is urging Catholics in the state to contact the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity director Jose Coronel or by calling the Archdiocese at 312.534.8200 to express their disapproval of the decision to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Senator Durbin.