By Susan E. Wills

On October 5, Catholics across the United States celebrated Respect Life Sunday. The day marks the kickoff of the bishops' annual program of education, prayer, public witness, and pastoral activities to promote a culture of life.

The theme of this year's program is "Hope and Trust in Life!" The phrase comes from a December 31, 2007, homily of Pope Benedict XVI, in which he described a lack of hope and trust in life as "the 'obscure' evil of modern Western society." Many people today seem to have forgotten that life is always a good, despite its hardships and suffering.

Children bring joy, innocence, laughter, and wonder to an adult world that is often conspicuously lacking in these qualities.

A charming photograph of Pope Benedict XVI is the central image of this year's Respect Life poster. It captures the moment when he was visiting a rehabilitation facility in Brazil last year and four children crowded close to hug him. In addition to the poster, flyer, liturgy guide, catalog, and a CD containing all the program materials, the packet features six pamphlet-length versions of articles on a broad variety of topics.

The leading cause of death in the African American community is abortion, claiming more lives of African Americans than heart disease, cancer, AIDS, accidents, and homicide combined. African American children are being aborted at a rate five times higher than non-Hispanic white children, according to a recent report by the Guttmacher Institute. The Most Rev. Martin D. Holley, auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C., offers a personal reflection on the African American family and the culture of life, and suggests ways that the black community can overcome the culture of death.

Many people mistakenly believe that the possibility of finding cures for intractable diseases justifies killing human embryos to obtain their stem cells. In "Stem Cells and Hope for Patients," Dr. Maureen Condic, a researcher and associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, shows that the real hope for cures lies in adult stem cell therapies. She also explains the significance of the breakthrough in which scientists have discovered how to create stem cells as versatile as embryonic stem cells (called "induced pluripotent stem cells") from skin cells, without killing human embryos.

Some in our society would justify withholding even ordinary treatment to sustain the lives of persons with serious mental or physical impairments. Temple University law professor Stephen L. Mikochik, Esq., who is himself blind, addresses the risks inherent in some kinds of "living wills" with respect to persons with disabilities. He recommends how such vulnerable persons can help ensure that their care reflects their belief in the sanctity of human life. Professor Mikochik's article is entitled "A Will for Living."

Tens of millions of American men are the fathers of aborted children. Many of them are struggling to cope with their loss and remorse. In "'The Hollow Men': Male Grief and Trauma Following Abortion," Vincent Rue, Ph.D., co-director of the Institute for Pregnancy Loss, a practicing psychotherapist and researcher, presents the findings from clinical research and practice in this emerging field of study.

Lastly, during Respect Life Month, the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities is raising the alarm about a threat to human life that in recent months has moved from the category of "potential" to "very real." Several years ago, President Bush vowed to veto any Congressional legislation that weakened pro-life protections already in place. When he leaves office in January, what would restrain a pro-abortion majority in Congress that could be seated in January?

As readers of NRL News well know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) has been introduced many times in Congress, in one form or another. Most recently, the day after the Supreme Court's decision upholding the federal ban on partial-birth abortion, congressional sponsors introduced FOCA as a means of canceling out the Court's ruling in Gonzales v. Carhart.

If enacted, FOCA also would sweep aside 36 years of hard won, constitutionally sound state and federal regulations on abortion. Taxpayers would be forced to fund abortions. The conscience rights of nurses, doctors, and hospitals would be violated. Parents would be stripped of their right to be involved in their minor daughters' abortion decisions. And those are only three examples of the harm FOCA can cause.

Bulletin inserts are being offered to Catholic parishes and ads will appear in Catholic newspapers urging Catholics to learn more about FOCA and to contact their members of Congress to pledge now to oppose FOCA. For more information and to download the bulletin inserts, visit www.nchla.org and www.usccb.org/prolife. We've all worked too hard to defend the lives of innocent unborn children to let our gains be swept away by one manifestly unjust federal law.

Won't you join us in getting the word out?

Susan Wills is assistant director for education and outreach, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.

Part One