American Catholic Bishops' New Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities Calls Abortion a Priority Issue of Justice

By Ernest L. Ohlhoff, Director of Outreach

..."Abortion, the direct killing of an innocent human being, is always gravely immoral (The Gospel of Life, no. 57); its victims are the most vulnerable and defenseless members of the human family. It is imperative that those who are called to serve the least among us give urgent attention and priority to this issue of justice."

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a revised Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities at its annual meeting on November 14, 2001.

Issued more than a quarter century after the first plan was released in 1975, the 2001 "Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities: A Campaign in Support of Life" relies heavily on statements from Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclical, The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae), and the 1998 statement by the bishops, Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics.

The focus of the plan is the need to protect all innocent human life to the greatest degree possible.

For example,

To focus on the evil of deliberate killing in abortion and euthanasia is not to ignore the many other urgent conditions that demean human dignity and threaten human rights...." But being 'right' in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the 'rightness' of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community" (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 23).

The Pastoral Plan also reflects on modern society's pervasive threats to human life.

Where does one begin? Today, when human rights are proudly proclaimed and the value of life itself given public affirmation, the most basic of all human rights, "the very right to life," "is being denied or trampled upon, especially at the more significant moments of existence: the moment of birth and the moment of death" (The Gospel of Life, no. 18).

...The question "Where does one begin?" is easy to answer: "We must begin with a commitment never to intentionally kill, or collude in the killing, of any innocent human life, no matter how broken, unformed, disabled or desperate that life may seem" (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 21).

Thus some behaviors are always wrong, always incompatible with our love of God and the dignity of the human person. Abortion, the direct taking of innocent human life prior to birth, is always morally wrong, as is the deliberate destruction of human embryos for any reason. Assisted suicide and euthanasia are not acts of mercy but acts that are never morally acceptable. Direct attacks on innocent civilians during war and terrorist acts targeting noncombatants must always be condemned.

In three specific areas the plan reiterates the call to action, highlighted in previous plans. It calls on the resources of the Catholic Church to be used to meet the challenges of building a culture of life through its educational resources, public policy initiatives, and prayer:

Public Information and Education to deepen understanding of the sanctity of human life and the humanity of unborn children, the moral evil of intentionally killing innocent human beings--whether at the beginning of life or at its end--and the mission of the Church to witness to and serve all human life...

Public Policy efforts directed to restoring legal protection to the lives of unborn children and those vulnerable to pressures to end their lives by assisted suicide, and to providing morally acceptable alternatives to abortion and assisted suicide.

Prayer and Worship directed to participation in the sacramental life of the Church and in programs of communal and individual prayer, that the culture of death that surrounds us today will be replaced by a culture of life and love.

Those holding public office are specifically identified in the Pastoral Plan as having special responsibilities to defend life.

The law is not the only means of protecting life, but it plays a key and often decisive role in affecting both human behavior and thinking. Those called to civil leadership, as Pope John Paul II reminds us, "have a duty to make courageous choices in support of life, especially through legislative measures." This is a responsibility that cannot be put aside, "especially when he or she has a legislative or decision-making mandate, which calls that person to answer to God, to his or her own conscience and to the whole of society for choices which may be contrary to the common good" (The Gospel of Life, no. 90).

Public officials are privileged in a special way to apply their moral convictions to the policy arena. We hold in high esteem those who, through such positions and authority, promote respect for all human life. Catholic civil leaders who reject or ignore the Church's teaching on the sanctity of human life do so at risk to their own spiritual well-being. "No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life" (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 32).

Public policy programs are specifically mentioned as requiring "well-planned and coordinated advocacy."

A public policy program requires well-planned and coordinated advocacy by citizens at the national, state, and local levels. Such activity is not solely the responsibility of Catholics but instead requires widespread cooperation and

collaboration on the part of groups large and small, religious and secular. As U.S. citizens and religious leaders, we see a critical moral imperative for public policy efforts to ensure the protection of human life. We urge our fellow citizens to see the justice of this cause and to work with us to achieve these objectives.

Maintaining a working relationship with other pro-life groups is also identified as part of the diocesan pro-life committee objectives.

...maintain working relationships with local pro-life groups and encourage the development of local pro-life lobbying networks....

The Pastoral Plan also specifically outlines the Catholic Church's position in support of laws that are less than perfect. It focuses on the legislative process as a reforming process that "will increasingly fulfill the proper task of protecting the weak and preserving the right to life."

Parishes and individuals are also specifically encouraged to make prayer a foundational part of pro-life activities. The Plan specifically requests that pro-life prayer petitions be included at every Mass.

...Parishes should include in the petitions at every Mass a prayer that ours will become a nation that respects and protects all human life, born and unborn, reflecting a true culture of life.

Prayer is the foundation of all that we do in defense of human life. Our efforts--whether educational, pastoral, or legislative--will be less than fully fruitful if we do not change hearts and if we do not ourselves overcome our own spiritual blindness. Only with prayer--prayer that storms the heavens for justice and mercy, prayer that cleanses our hearts and our souls--will the culture of death that surrounds us today be replaced with a culture of life.

The plan also addresses the special needs of women who are having problem pregnancies and those who are suffering from a personal abortion experience.

Pastoral care encompasses a broad range of services provided with competence, compassion, and dignity. It includes spiritual assistance and essential material help, and may include supplementary services beyond those available in the community. Providing pastoral care to those in need is a primary way that the Church expresses its love for all God's children....

Pregnancy Services - Respect for human life compels us to reach out to those with special needs. With the support of the faith community, Catholic organizations and agencies provide pastoral services and care for pregnant women, especially those who are vulnerable to abortion and who would otherwise find it difficult or impossible to obtain high-quality medical care....

Post-Abortion Healing and Reconciliation - For many women and men, grief and anguish follow an abortion experience, which often last for many years. Women today talk about post-abortion stress and reveal a pattern of common grief in "chat rooms," through published books, and in support groups.

The Church offers reconciliation as well as spiritual and psychological care for those suffering from abortion's aftermath primarily through diocesan-based programs, most often called Project Rachel. Such programs utilize specially trained priests and professional counselors who provide one-on-one care. Other post-abortion ministries that involve support groups and retreats are also available in many areas.

Laws Less Than Perfect - While at times human law may not fully articulate the moral imperative--full protection for the right to life--our legal system can and must be continually reformed so that it will increasingly fulfil its proper task of protecting the weak and preserving the right to life of every human being, born and unborn. In the Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II explains that one may support "imperfect" legislation--legislation that, for example, does not ban all abortions but puts some control on a current more permissive law by aiming to limit the number of abortions--if that is the best that can be achieved at a particular time. In doing so one seeks to limit the harm done by the present law:"This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects" (no. 73).

Care for the chronically ill, disabled, and dying is also part of the 2001 Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide can appear a reasonable and even compassionate solution to the suffering of individuals and families struggling with illness or the dying process. Yet these are not real solutions - - they do not solve human problems, but only take the lives of those most in need of unconditional love.

Christians are called to help build a civilization of life and of love, in which seriously ill persons and their families are never abandoned, but are supported with services, friendship, and love.

In reviewing the past quarter century, the bishops reflected on the fact that while much has been accomplished by the pro-life movement, much work remains to be done.

*The numbers and rates of abortions steadily declined in the 1990s. More Americans identified themselves as pro-life, while the number of those who said they are "pro-choice" declined; polls showed that Americans are far more opposed to abortion than our law reflects.

*Despite opposition from powerful and well-funded sources, the pro-life movement continues to be one of the largest and most effective grassroots movements in the nation.

The bishops concluded their Pastoral Plan with a commitment to continue to work unceasingly to build a culture of life in our country.

Our own commitment will not waver. Our efforts will not cease. We will speak out on behalf of the sanctity of life wherever and whenever it is threatened.

We hold in high esteem all who proclaim and serve the Gospel of life. Through their peaceful activism, education, prayer, and service, they witness to God's truth and embody our Lord's command to love one another as he loves us. We assure them of our continuing prayers. And we renew our appeal to all in the Catholic community to join with them and with us in building a "culture of life."