Educating our Students on what it Means to be Pro-Life  October 2008

By Mary Lou Rosien

The first Sunday in October is Pro-Life Sunday. What does it mean to be “pro-life?” How do we teach this idea to our students in a positive way?

As Catholics, we are called to be pro-life. To respect the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death. This concept must be applied to how we think, act and vote.

There are obvious and less obvious implications of this point of view.

•  We must maintain an attitude of openness to life. This definition does not just support the Church’s positive view of natural family planning and active discouragement of artificial contraception, but it includes being open to adoption, foster children and step-children. We can even extend this thinking to a broader view which would include volunteering to improve and sustain the health and circumstances of all people. Teaching the faith at your parish is pro-life.
• Catholics cannot support abortion in any form. This means that we can not support any type of late-term abortion and we must support efforts to save babies who have survived an abortion attempt.

Furthermore, we cannot support any type of surgical or chemical abortion. This includes the so called “morning after” pill. The pill works in such a way, that if conception has already taken place, the uterus becomes an unwelcome habitat for the unborn child. This causes a spontaneous abortion (in many cases when the woman is completely unaware that she has conceived). Protecting the unborn is pro-life.

• It is not a disease to be old. It is not a crime to be sick. Catholics cannot support any efforts to legalize euthanasia. Again, we can extend this view to include giving proper, appropriate and kind care to the sick, disabled or dying. Visiting an elderly person is decidedly pro-life! Sitting with a dying parent and holding their hand as they take their last breath is pro-life. Supporting legislation that increases quality of life and discourages euthanasia is pro-life.
•  If we are pro-life, we, as Catholics, must work to show love of life to all people. This includes learning to love ourselves, our neighbors and even our enemies. We should work for justice in our homes and in the world. We can ask ourselves:

Do I realize that I am a child of God and loved by Him?

Do I treat all others, even those I don’t like or those I do not understand as if they are a precious child of God?

Living with the understanding that we are loved and called to love are pro-life values. God bless. Go with God’s love and mine.

Mary Lou Rosien writes from North Chili, NY.  She is the author of Managing Stress with the Help of your Catholic Faith. (OSV publishing).