What Do We Mean By “Pro-Life?”

If you looked at Thursday, January 22nd on your Catholic calendar, you know it was described as a day of penance because of the atrocity of abortion and also a day of prayer for the legal guarantee of the right to life. This day of reflection has occurred every January since the Supreme Court upheld the legalization of abortion in 1973. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have participated in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., lobbying for pro-life legislation.

But what does it really mean to be “pro-life?”

                                                 

As Catholics, we understand that because life begins at conception, abortion is wrong. The Catechism says, “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. …”  (Paragraph 2270) For this reason, we must be concerned with protecting the lives of unborn children. For some, that means praying outside clinics or volunteering at organizations that support unwed mothers; for others, it means working to change a system that disenfranchises young, pregnant women.

But being pro-life involves so much more, and as Catholics, we are called to be pro-life even when it is difficult. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wants us to broaden the scope of our parish pro-life activities by pointing out life issues deserving of our attention and efforts: Capital Punishment; People Living with Disabilities; End of Life Issues; Health Care; War; and Hunger, to name just a few.

The USCCB says that, “Increasingly, our society looks to violent measures to deal with some of our most difficult social problems – millions of  abortions to address problem pregnancies, advocacy of euthanasia and assisted suicide to cope with the burdens of age and illness, and increased reliance on the death penalty to deal with crime.  We are tragically turning to violence in the search for quick and easy answers to complex human problems…”

As we consider our stand on life issues, we must embrace the concept that being pro-life is more than simply being anti-abortion. It is not for us to judge which lives are innocent and which are not – that discernment is for God alone. Rather, we must believe, as the Catechism tells us, that every human life is sacred because we are all made in the image and likeness of God. (Paragraph 2319) “Our witness to respect for life shines most brightly when we demand respect for each and every human life…”