If you were to google “Catholic Social Justice Teaching” right there at number 1 is the Life and Dignity of the Human Person. God is clear about the value He places on human life, especially children, in the Bible so why are we still having this conversation? I have said this before – you cannot be pro-life and still support the right for anyone to choose to kill an unborn child. Period. What are we waiting for?
What Does the Bible Say about Life and Children?
Starting with the Ten Commandments the Bible says – “You shall not kill“. This is not negotiable. God gives us life and only God can take it away.
In Matthews gospel Jesus speaks about children and heaven:
In John 10:10 Jesus speaks about how He is the Good Shepherd and why He came to shepherd us:
Abortion Makes People Disposable
The very definition of the “Life and Dignity of the Human Person”- at the very top of the list of Catholic Social Teaching:
This means that every life is sacred and all people are worthy of respect, no matter who they are or where they live . We are called to care for all human life .
On January 29, 2023 Pope Francis decreed in his Sunday Angelus address a culture that “throws away” unborn children, the elderly, and the poor if they are not useful. He later stated “Every person is a sacred and unique gift, no matter what their age or condition is. Let us always respect and promote life! Let us not throw life away.”
I realize that there are many factors that are part of a decision to abort a child. The risk to the life of the mother, and victims of rape and incest are very real situations for too many people. I cannot even fathom how difficult it must be to have to make this decision under these circumstances, and I pray that no one in my family ever has to make this decision. Should there be exceptions for these situations? I do not believe so and as Catholics we are taught that we find God in the toughest of times when we are weak. We are asked to trust God to find a way where we do not see one.
That being said, the very large majority of abortions in the US are discretionary meaning not in the three categories I mentioned above. While the number varies, discretionary abortions account for north of 95% of all abortions. That is a staggering number and the bottom line is all of these lives were ended when other options were available. The entire argument today about when life begins is nonsense. Life begins at conception. It always has and always will. I believe that this “question” was introduced to support the abortion stance and for no other reason.
How Do We Proceed?
Implementing a national ban on abortion will be very polarizing as is the entire abortion discussion. The courts will immediately fill up with lawsuits related to “women’s rights” and “the right to an abortion.” I believe we have an opportunity right now to start to implement a change in our culture and this will not be easy and take a significant amount of time. The evil one will fight us every step of the way:
- There are many resources available to families offering support after birth. We need many more resources to be available and this will require significant investment including marketing these services more effectively than the pro-abortion side promotes Planned Parenthood. We hear very little about the pro-life centers and where women can go to get the help to make the decision, but we hear about Planned Parenthood every day.
- I believe the Catholic Church should work more closely and actively with other faith organizations to help drive the funding needed for more pro-life services. We lead on social justice and I believe this is an opportunity to take the lead as part of a larger faith community to address our biggest social injustice.
- We should target discretionary abortions first. Just prioritizing the discretionary abortions will save millions of lives. We need a complete ban in my view, but that will be impossible with our society as polarized as it is. We need to be in front of the discussions to provide the support and assistance before the pro-abortion groups have a chance to make their case.
- Laws like the FACE act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act) need to be struck down immediately. While I understand the intent our government has weaponized this as well and are using this to silence any opposition near abortion clinics.
- Most importantly we need God through prayer and living our lives as true disciples of Jesus. This means we need to live the life of Jesus and the gospels every day as an example for others. We cannot be accommodating as it applies to abortion. We are pro-life and people are not disposable. We cannot afford to let this continue.
Please feel free to comment below.
God Bless
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