Every life is precious

Richard A. Sokerka

For Catholics, October begins the celebration of Respect Life Month underscoring the Catholic Church’s teaching that every human life is precious and worthy of protection.

In our nation, those in the womb are the most in danger because of unrestricted abortion laws in many states, including New Jersey, which fully funds Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.

But in the womb, from the child’s first moments of existence, the child has all the DNA that would determine whether it is male or female, all facial features and the color of his or her hair and eyes. At 24 days, the child’s heart is beating. At eight weeks, all organs are present, and unique fingerprints are forming. Ultrasounds show that by 18 weeks, the child can somersault, suck its thumb and even cover its ears from hearing loud music.

A child born just 23 weeks after conception has a 50-80 percent chance of survival; by 25 weeks, it’s more than 90 percent, and that’s months before full-term birth.

In our nation, if someone takes an innocent person’s life after he or she is born, it’s murder and against the law; but if it is done via abortion just minutes before birth, it’s legal in many states.

Pope Francis said earlier this year, “Our defense of the innocent unborn ... needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development.”

St. Mother Teresa in a speech in 1994 in the United States said, “I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because Jesus said, ‘If you receive a little child, you receive me.’ So every abortion is the denial of receiving Jesus, the neglect of receiving Jesus.”

This saint of our times went on to say, “By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. [Abortion is] really a war against the child, and I hate the killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that the mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? ... Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love one another, but to use violence to get what they want.”

This month in the Diocese of Paterson and elsewhere many pro-life events are being held to mark Respect Life Month. Make time to take part in one to stand up for life. Then, reflect on the words of Pope Francis and St. Mother Teresa and pray for the end to abortion in our nation, that all mothers and children experience the loving support of the Church community, and that all who suffer after an abortion find healing and peace.