Social Teaching and the Respect for Life
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' " Matthew 25:35-36

Many people see issues regarding abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty as separate issues from Social Justice.  They are wrong.  Social Justice and pro-life issues are about respect for the dignity of life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.  It is not just a matter of life and death.  It includes how we treat life.  Do we kill it?  Do we allow it to suffer due to poverty?  Do we ignore life because it isn't our problem?

The right to life is not just a matter of life and death. It is a question of the right to enjoy life. To do so we most have our basic needs of food, drink, shelter, clothing, and even health care. These are known as the Corporal Works of Mercy. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus says in the end we will be judged by how we treat others. Click here to read about the Catholic perspective on health care.

The respect for life includes life at all stages. Read on to see some particular issues.

For Further Reading

For my final in Biomedical Ethics, I answered four questions concerning the dignity of life, In Vitro Fertilization, Cloning, and Cooperation in Evil.  Click here to read my answers.

For more information on Life Issues and how it relates to family check out these sites (These are not all Catholic Sites) The Center for Bioethics, Priests for Life, and Focus on the Family.  Or check out Pope Paul VI's Humanae Vitae or Pope John Paul's Evangelium Vitae.

This page last updated on December 12, 2011