It may be hard to believe, but October is almost half over! Every October, the Catholic Church in the United States observes Respect Life Month and we are called to consider more deeply why every human life is valuable and reflect on how to build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death. With such issues as abortion, in vitro fertilization and immigration among the most important and controversial topics being debated in preparation for the upcoming elections, this is certainly a providential moment for us to reflect on our beliefs as Catholics. As followers of Jesus, we are called to cherish, defend and protect those who are most vulnerable from the beginning to the end of their lives and at every point in between. We are reminded that life is a gift from God and only God has the authority to determine when it begins and when it ends.
We live in a society that often rejects those who are weak, fragile, or vulnerable. Yet, it is precisely within these conditions that a person is most in need of our care and protection. As Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “we are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the ‘culture of death’ and the ‘culture of life’. …we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.”[i] The U.S. bishops have affirmed that, while it is important to address all the ways in which human life is threatened, “abortion remains our pre-eminent priority as it directly attacks our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, destroying more than a million lives each year in our country alone.”[ii]
Bishop Daniel Thomas, a Philadelphia native who is currently the Ordinary in Toledo, OH, is also the Chairman of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities, recently issued a statement in preparation for Respect Life Month. In his statement, he addressed the serious issue of the increased use of abortion pills:
Today, with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks. The Food and Drug Administration has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by allowing the abortion pill to be prescribed in telehealth appointments, sold both at neighborhood pharmacies and online, and often shipped in the mail, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb. This means that more women, many of whom have been misinformed about the nature and risks of the abortion pill, will have an abortion alone at home, without any medical supervision. It also sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or human traffickers. These affronts to human dignity demand our response.
Knowing that every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother, we must also continue our efforts to assist mothers facing challenging pregnancies and to help women and men seeking forgiveness and healing after participation in a past abortion.
On the other end of the human life spectrum, we’re seeing an increasing number of states in our nation legalize medically assisted suicide. Last March, New York became the 13th state to do so, along with Washington, D.C. New Jersey passed the Medical Aid for Dying for the Terminally Ill Act in 2019. Supporters call this medical aid in dying. This is just another euphemism that proponents are using to hide the truth behind the act. Those of us who have experienced the pain of watching a loved one suffer through a debilitating disease, whether it’s cancer or dementia, may have been tempted to act in such a way as to allow them a peaceful death with dignity on their terms or ours. But, we have also experienced the privilege of caring for them, putting our trust in God’s providence, recognizing that God alone calls us to life and to eternal life. Let us continue to work and pray for a greater respect for human life from the moment of conception to natural death.
[i] Pope John Paul II, Evangelium vitae, (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1995), no. 28.
[ii] Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States, Introductory Letter, p. 8. (Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2024).