Respect Life

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”

The Catholic Church defends human life from conception to natural death because life is a gift from God – not created by us. This is not a novel teaching of the Church. The giving and taking of life is the domain of God alone, and no one may take upon himself or herself the decision of terminating another’s life, most especially the life of those who cannot speak for themselves, or who may be impeded by age, illness, or circumstance.

“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.”