Respect for Human Life

The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.¹

More on Life and Dignity of the Human Person from the USCCB  CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE

BEGINNING OF LIFE

"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… Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law… Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being." Catechism of the Catholic Church 2270, 2271, 227 updated Aug. 10, 2017
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Take action

• Participate in the annual March for Life, either the national march in Washington D.C or the local march in St. Augustine.
• Donate your time or needed materials to a pregnancy center in your area
• Alpha Center, Pensacola
• Open Door Women's Clinic
• Participate in an AHG troop and work toward reaching the Respect Life Patch

BIOETHICS & STEM CELL RESEARCH

"The issue of stem cell research does not force us to choose between science and ethics, much less between science and religion. It presents a choice as tohow our society will pursue scientific and medical progress. Will we ignore ethical norms and use some of the most vulnerable human beings as objects, undermining the respect for human life that is at the foundation of the healing arts? Such a course, even if it led to rapid technical progress, would be a regress in our efforts to build a society that is fully human. Instead we must pursue progress in ethically responsible ways that respect the dignity of each human being. Only this will produce cures and treatments that everyone can live with." On Embryonic Stem Cell Research: A Statement of the USCCB, 2008 updated Dec. 21, 2016
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Take action

• Support Adult Stem Cell Research
• Write to your legislators on the need for ethical research practices

DEATH PENALTY

"Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. If however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person. Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically nonexistent." Catechism of the Catholic Church 2267 updated Dec. 21, 2016
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Take action

• Take part in a Prayer Vigil happening in your area scheduled the day of an execution
• Write to your state legislators and urge them to abolish the death penalty
• Host a Death Penalty workshop at your parish

END OF LIFE

As Catholic leaders and moral teachers, we believe that life is the most basic gift of a loving God--a gift over which we have stewardship but not absolute dominion. Our tradition, declaring a moral obligation to care for our own life and health and to seek such care from others, recognizes that we are not morally obligated to use all available medical procedures in every set of circumstances. But that tradition clearly and strongly affirms that as a responsible steward of life one must never directly intend to cause one's own death, or the death of an innocent victim, by action or omission. As the Second Vatican Council declared, "euthanasia and willful suicide" are "offenses against life itself" which "poison civilization"; they "debase the perpetrators more than the victims and militate against the honor of the creator"  Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Statement on Euthanasia, 1991 updated Dec. 21, 2016
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Take action

• Volunteer at a local nursing home or hospital
• Cardinal Dolan Calls for Renewed Fight Against Doctor-Assisted Suicide
• FAQ's about Euthanasia & Assisted Suicide
• Learn more about personal experiences like this one

DISABILITIES

Educate yourself and your parish on how to be a welcoming, inclusive community
"Our faith requires a greater sensitivity and commitment to our fellow humans who suffer from mental illness as well as a greater responsibility on our part to recognize their importance to the community and especially communities of faith. In a society that judges a person on the value of what he or she produces, the person living with mental illness is easily seen merely as a burden on society. The temptation is to isolate or marginalize. As Christians, then, we are called unceasingly to affirm their dignity as human beings made in the image and likeness of God, and to recognize their value to the community." ”The Person with Mental Illness: Bearing God’s Image”, by Rev. Richard Gill, L.C. updated Dec. 21, 2016 TOP
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Take action

• Take steps to ensure that your parish and liturgies are accessible to all peoples.
• Workshops for Interpreters
• Advocate for public policies that promote the rights of those with disabilities, especially the unborn

PEACE

"Respect for and development of human life requires peace. Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity. Peace is 'the tranquility of order.' Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity… Those who renounce violence and bloodshed and, in order to safeguard human rights, make use of those means of defense available to the weakest, bear witness to evangelical charity, provided they do so without harming the rights and obligations of other men and societies. They bear legitimate witness to the gravity of the physical and moral risks of recourse to violence, with all its destruction and death." Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2304, 2306 updated Dec. 21, 2016
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Take action

• Write to your legislators about the need for a peaceful resolution to conflict

¹Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching, from the USCCB Website, Aug 1, 2016

Call to Family

The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society -- in economics and politics, in law and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.

More on Call to Family, Community, and Participation
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: The Nature of the Family

FAMILY

"The family is thus an agent of pastoral activity through its explicit proclamation of the Gospel and its legacy of varied forms of witness, namely solidarity with the poor, openness to a diversity of people, the protection of creation, moral and material solidarity with other families, including those most in need, commitment to the promotion of the common good and the transformation of unjust social structures, beginning in the territory in which the family lives, through the practice of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy." (Pope Francis, On Love in the Family [Amoris Laetitia], no. 290, quoting the Final Report of the Synod of Bishops, 10/24/15)

Economic and social policies as well as organization of  the work world should be continually evaluated in light of their impact on the  strength and stability of family life. The long-range future of  this nation is intimately linked with the well-being of families, for the  family is the most basic form of human community.  Efficiency and competition in the marketplace  must be moderated by greater concern for the way work schedules and compensation support or threaten the bonds between spouses and between parents  and children. (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All, no. 93)

The first and fundamental structure for a "human  ecology" is the family . . . founded on marriage, in which the  mutual gift of self as husband and wife creates an environment in which  children can be born and develop their potentialities, become aware of their  dignity and prepare to face their unique and individual destiny. (St. John Paul II, On the Hundredth Year [Centesimus Annus], no. 39)

Insofar as it is a "small- scale Church," the Christian family is called upon, like the "large- scale Church," to be a sign of unity for the world and in this way to exercise its prophetic role by bearing witness to the Kingdom and peace of Christ, towards which the whole world is journeying. Christian families can do this through their educational activity-that is to say by presenting to their children a model of life based on the values of truth, freedom, justice and love-both through active and responsible involvement in the authentically human growth of society and its institutions, and by supporting in various ways the associations specifically devoted to international issues. (St. John Paul II, The Family in the Modern World [Familiaris Consortio], no. 48)

Take Action

• Seek a Sacramental Marriage
• Seek a Sacramental Life for yourself, your spouse, and your offspring
• Pray together as a family at home, at church, and with others in the community
• Practice the Corporal Works of Mercy and the Spiritual Works of Mercy

• Participate with local government to solve local problems for the betterment of the community

Participation in Social Life

Flowing from our God-given dignity, each person has basic rights and responsibilities. These include the rights to freedom of conscience and religious liberty, to raise a family, to immigrate, to live free from unfair discrimination, and to have a share of earthly goods sufficient for oneself and one’s family. People have a fundamental right to life and to those things that make life truly human: food, clothing, housing, health care, education, security, social services, and employment. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities - to one another, to our families, and to the larger society, to respect the rights of others and to work for the common good. ¹

More on Rights and Responsibilities from the USCCB
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Participation in Social Life
 

PRINCIPLE OF THE COMMON GOOD

Underlying the principle of the common good is respect for the human person as such, endowed with basic and inalienable rights ordered to his or her integral development. It has also to do with the overall welfare of society and the development of a variety of intermediate groups, applying the principle of subsidiarity. Outstanding among those groups is the family, as the basic cell of society. Finally, the common good calls for social peace, the stability and security provided by a certain order which cannot be achieved without particular concern for distributive justice; whenever this is violated, violence always ensues. Society as a whole, and the state in particular, are obliged to defend and promote the common good. (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'], no. 157)

Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena related to warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and forestry. They have no other financial activities or resources which can enable them to adapt to climate change or to face natural disasters, and their access to social services and protection is very limited. For example, changes in climate, to which animals and plants cannot adapt, lead them to migrate; this in turn affects the livelihood of the poor, who are then forced to leave their homes, with great uncertainty for their future and that of their children. There has been a tragic rise in the number of migrants seeking to flee from the growing poverty caused by environmental degradation. . . . Our lack of response to these tragedies involving our brothers and sisters points to the loss of that sense of responsibility for our fellow men and women upon which all civil society is founded. (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'], no. 25)

A link has often been noted between  claims to a "right to excess", and even to transgression and vice, within  affluent societies, and the lack of food, drinkable water, basic instruction  and elementary health care in areas of the underdeveloped world and on the  outskirts of large metropolitan centers. The link consists in this: individual  rights, when detached from a framework of duties which grants them their full  meaning, can run wild, leading to an escalation of demands which is effectively  unlimited and indiscriminate. (Pope Benedict XVI, Charity  in Truth, [Caritas in Veritate], no. 43)

The inviolability of the person which is a reflection of  the absolute inviolability of God, finds its primary and fundamental expression  in the inviolability of human life. Above all, the common outcry, which  is justly made on behalf of human rights-for example, the right to health, to  home, to work, to family, to culture- is false and illusory if the right to  life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other  personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination. (St. John Paul II, On the Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful [Christifideles Laici], no. 38)
    
We must speak of man's rights. Man has the right to live.  He has the right to bodily integrity and to the means necessary for the proper development of life, particularly food, clothing, shelter, medical care, rest,  and, finally, the necessary social services. In consequence, he has the right to  be looked after in the event of ill health; disability stemming from his work;  widowhood; old age; enforced unemployment; or whenever through no fault of his  own he is deprived of the means of livelihood. (St. John XXIII, Peace on Earth [Pacem in Terris], no. 11)
 
In human society one man's natural right gives rise to a  corresponding duty in other men; the duty, that is, of recognizing and  respecting that right. Every basic human right draws its authoritative force  from the natural law, which confers it and attaches to it its respective duty.  Hence, to claim one's rights and ignore one's duties, or only half fulfill  them, is like building a house with one hand and tearing it down with the  other. (St. John XXIII,  Peace on Earth [Pacem in Terris], no. 30)

As for the State . . . It has also the duty to protect the rights of all its  people, and particularly of its weaker members, the workers, women and  children. It can never be right for the State to shirk its obligation of  working actively for the betterment of the condition of the workingman. (St. John XXIII, Christianity and Social Progress (Mater et Magistra), no. 20)

FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP

The Church's obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith, a part of the mission given to us by Jesus Christ. As people of both faith and reason, Catholics are called to bring truth to political life and to practice Christ's commandment to "love one another" (Jn 13:34). We are called to bring together our principles and our political choices, our values and our votes, to help build a better world. At times Catholics may choose different ways to respond to social problems, but we cannot differ on our obligation to protect human life and dignity and help build through moral means a more just and peaceful world.
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Take action

• Host a Faithful Citizenship workshop at your parish, school, or ministry
• Register to vote
• Vote in accord with Catholic teaching in local, state and national elections

ADVOCACY & LEGISLATIVE AWARENESS

"As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life. The manner of this participation may vary from one country or culture to another... As with any ethical obligation, the participation of all in realizing the common good calls for a continually renewed conversion of the social partners. Fraud and other subterfuges, by which some people evade the constraints of the law and the prescriptions of societal obligation, must be firmly condemned because they are incompatible with the requirements of justice. Much care should be taken to promote institutions that improve the conditions of human life." Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1915-1916

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Take action

• Take part in the yearly Catholic Days at the Capitol in Tallahassee
• Sign up to receive Advocacy Alerts from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Write to your legislators on issues of social justice

¹CCHD, Basic Principles of Catholic Mission

The Dignity of Work

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in Gods creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.¹

More on Option for The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers from the USCCB
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: The Dignity of Work & The Rights of Workers

LIVING WAGE

"A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice. In determining fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. "Remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural, and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good." Agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally the amount to be received in wages." Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2434

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Take action

• Support businesses that pay their employees a just wage
• Talk to your legislative representatives about poverty issues

• Write to your state legislators about human trafficking laws
• Learn more by subscribing to the Anti-Trafficking Program Newsletter

The Earth as a Gift from God

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of God’s creation. Care for the earth is a duty of our faith and a sign of our concern for all people. We should strive to live simply to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We have a moral obligation to protect the planet on which we live – to respect God’s creation and ensure a safe and hospitable environment for human beings, especially children at their most vulnerable stages of development. As stewards called by God to share the responsibility for the future of the earth, we should work for a world in which people respect and protect all of creation and seek to live simply in harmony with it for the sake of future generations.¹

More on Care for God's Creation from the USCCB
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: RESPECT FOR GOD'S CREATION

ENVIRONMENT

Care for the earth and for the environment is a moral issue. Protecting the land, water, and air we share is a religious duty of stewardship and reflects our responsibility to born and unborn children, who are most vulnerable to environmental assault. Effective initiatives are required for energy conservation and the development of alternate, renewable, and clean energy resources.” 

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Take action

• Examine your own lifestyle and see how your family can be a better steward for God and the environment
• Plant a garden in your parish and help feed the community
• Recycle
• Use reusable shopping bags
• Use public transportation
• Host an environment workshop at your parish, school, or ministry

CLIMATE CHANGE

Honoring creation is another way to honor God who created all that is. If we value our relationship with God and God’s creation, climate change must be for us a profoundly spiritual, ethical, and moral issue. The human contribution to climate change represents one of the clearest examples of how human activity is damaging God’s creation. We need to recover spiritual values that respect God’s creation…It is a moral issue because while the poor have contributed the least to climate change, they will suffer its worst consequences. Catholic Social teaching, based on biblical and Church teaching, call us to consider first how our actions affect poor and vulnerable people. We have a special obligation to respond to our brothers and sisters in need.” 

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Take action

• Use energy efficient light bulbs and equipment
• Carpool or use public transportation
• Recycle
• Buy local products
• Conduct an energy audit at your home or parish