October – Respect Life Month

October is Respect Life Month and Lord knows our world needs to seize this opportunity to reintegrate respect for life in our daily lives. As a catholic, being pro-life is quintessential to my faith and daily life. As our world questions peace and dignity, it is important to ask what does it mean to respect life and what does it mean to be catholic and pro-life?

The Catholic church teaches that every human being has been created with equal dignity. It comes from our identity and being created by God. The Catechism of the church says, “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. 72 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. 73 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth,” (CCC 2270).

The Catechism clearly lays out the Church’s view of the human person. From conception to natural death, life must be protected.

Abortion, the murdering of an unborn child, violates that child’s God given dignity and right to life. It is the great Goliath of the pro-life movement and Catholics must fight sternly against it. Prayer, fasting, and voting will be our stones and sling shot to ending this atrocious violation of human dignity. To put it plainly: to be pro-life is to be anti-abortion, in every circumstance. Being pro-life not limited to abortion. The person is to be respected from the moment of conception to natural death. No matter their state in life a person always deserves respect. One’s race, religion, creed, ability, sex, or age cannot remove their God given dignity.

When we encounter someone we disagree with, it can be easy to write them off as idiots. Some might even become violent or angry. This is not the Catholic approach. We must encounter them in a way that honors their dignity. This does not mean you need to throw away your own opinions and not stand up for yourself. It does mean that we need to listen with empathy and with understanding. For every encounter with another human being is a chance to encounter God’s creation.

Respect for the elderly is often disregarded in pro-life conversations. This should not be so. Someone’s age does not discredit them from our respect. With Covid-19 being so dangerous for the elderly, now more than ever our society needs to remember to respect them perpetually. How can we honor their dignity? Visiting the elderly (provided you are healthy and Covid free) is a simple way to literally be there for them. Advocating for elderly rights in legal settings is also a great way. Life should be honored until natural death. Death by Euthanasia or suicide is a violation of human dignity. Quality of life is not decided by scientists – humans are not God. We cannot begin to pick and choose who gets to live and who must die. We do not have the power over life and death. Deciding that because of a given condition or state in life, a person should not be alive anymore is not a decision human beings get to make. We do not create life, so we do not get to
end it – it is not in our power, but rather in the power of God. Supporting Euthanasia disrespects the dignity of the individual as well as God’s timing. Someone suffering from suicidal tendencies or depression needs to be provided with real support, and healing. Death is not a solution. The Catholic view of the human person must encompass all stages of life.

We are created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 2:17). He made us with a dignity that cannot be taken away by other humans. As a Catholics, we have the responsibility to honor the human dignity in every human being. From conception to natural death we must be advocates for life!

This Respect Life month is a perfect opportunity to remind ourselves of the dignity and value of the human being. The need to respect life does not end in October. It is a continual need that we must strive to fulfill better with each day and every moment.