Why is the Church a Strong Voice for Life?

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Published by Sean Reilly

According to our Catechism, Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person-among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.

All persons, not just Catholics, can know from the scientific and medical evidence that what grows in a mother’s womb is a new, distinct human being. All persons can understand that each human being merits respect. Throughout her rich tradition, the Catholic Church has always been pro-life. As Saint John Paul II reminded us, we believe that “all human life is sacred, for it is created in the image and likeness of God.” Aborting an unborn child destroys a precious human life that God has called uniquely into existence. Our Faith also obliges us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who spoke and acted strongly and compassionately in favor of the most despised and vulnerable persons in society. Jesus touched lepers, spoke with prostitutes, and showed mercy and tenderness to the sick, the poor, and children.

Our society has many vulnerable persons including women in difficult pregnancies as well as unborn children whose lives may legally be ended at any time during pregnancy and for any reason. In following Jesus Christ, Catholics have a responsibility to speak and act in defense of these persons. This is part of our special care for the poor and powerless. The Church’s mission to defend human life applies over the entire course of life from conception to natural death. And so the Catholic Church has defended human rights and conducted international relief and development efforts. Catholic hospitals and other healthcare facilities form the largest network of private, not-for-profit healthcare providers in the United States. Our Catholic charitable organizations provide countless social services to all Americans, regardless of race, creed, or national origin. The Catholic Church strives to be a prophetic voice, speaking out to protest injustices and indignities against the human person. We will continue in this work, whether our words are popular or unpopular.

Since its beginning, the Church has maintained firm and clear teaching on the sacredness of human life. Abortion was rejected in the earliest known Christian manual of discipline, the Didache. Early Christian fathers likewise condemned abortion as the killing of innocent human life. A third-century Father of the Church, Tertullian, called it “accelerated homicide.” Early Church councils considered it one of the most serious crimes. Since that time, science has only further confirmed the humanity of the child growing in his or her mother’s womb. Church teaching continues to insist, to the present day, that a just society protects and cares for life before as well as after birth.

Saint John Paul II challenged us: “We find ourselves not only faced with but necessarily in the midst of this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.” As people who believe in life, how are we responding to this challenge?

Taken in its entirety from the USCCB: https://www.usccb.org/resources/catholicchurch-pro-life-church.

October is Respect Life Month. Don’t miss these important events sponsored by Our Lady of the Wayside’s Respect Life Ministry:

Pro-Life Apologetics, Sharing the Truth with Love – a presentation by Anne-Marie Miller