Sanctity of Life

1. Sanctity of Life Rob Agnelli

2. Signs of the Times I-1000—This measure permits terminally ill, competent, adult Washington residents medically predicted to die within six months to request and self-administer lethal medication prescribed by a physician. Proposal 2—This measure permits residents of Michigan to donate embryos left over from fertility treatments for scientific research.

3. Signs of the Times 37 Death Row Inmates Executed in the US in 2008—1136 since 1976 In the US, a woman is raped every 6 minutes; a woman is battered every 15 seconds. In 2008, more than 15,000 women will be sold into sexual slavery in China.

4. Perhaps the Most Disturbing "[F]or two decades of economic and social developments, people have organized intimate relationships and made choices that define their views of themselves and their places in society, in reliance on the availability of abortion in the event that contraception should fail." Casey vs Planned Parenthood, 1992

5. Didache “You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not corrupt young boys, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten. You shall not covet the things of your neighbor” ~100 A.D.

6. The man who decided his would be a life for life “I devote my very rare free moments to a work that is close to my heart and devoted to the metaphysical sense and mystery of the person. It seems to me that the debate today is being played out at that level. The evil of our times consists in the first place in a kind of degradation, indeed in a pulverization, of the fundamental uniqueness of each human person.” -Karol Wojtyla (aka JPII) in a 1968 letter to friend Fr. Henri de Lubac

7. The Culture of Death “Unfortunately, this disturbing state of affairs, far from decreasing, is expanding: with the new prospects opened up by scientific and technological progress there arise new forms of attacks on the dignity of the human being. At the same time a new cultural climate is developing and taking hold, which gives crimes against life a new and-if possible-even more sinister character…” Evangelium Vitae (EV) 4

8. Causes and Signs Changes in the Meaning of Words Mistaken notion of Freedom Loss of the Sacred

9. Language “In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible."George Orwell, Politics and the English Language

10. Reclaiming the Language “Pro-Choice” “Terminating” a Pregnancy Euthanasia/Mercy Killing “Spin”

11. Freedom “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State. “ Planned Parenthood vs Casey

12. The Forgotten Dimension of Freedom Freedom from Freedom for

13. Loss of the Sacred Motherhood Sex God

14. Sacredness of Motherhood “A general and no less serious responsibility lies with those who have encouraged the spread of an attitude of sexual permissiveness and a lack of esteem for motherhood…” EV 97

15. Sacredness of Sex 1) General lowering of moral standards opening wide the way for marital infidelity 2) The young and those who are so exposed to temptation lose their incentives for keeping the moral law 3) Man can easily forget the reverence due to woman and reduce her to a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires 4) The danger of this power falling into those in public authority who have little concern for the precepts of moral law Humanae Vitae, 17

16. The Eclipse of God “In seeking the deepest roots of the struggle between the "culture of life" and the "culture of death", we have to go to the heart of the tragedy being experienced by modern man: the eclipse of the sense of God and of man, typical of a social and cultural climate dominated by secularism.” EV 21

17. Quality of Life Life is Worthy of Life depending on three criteria: • Is it wanted? • Is it in too much pain? • Is it severely handicapped?

18. Sanctity of Life “ Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.“ CCC2258

19. Our Value is not something we earn “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” Jer 1:5

20. …or Lose “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, … nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom 8: 35-39

21. Our Nature “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

22. We are made for eternal life “Endowed with ‘a spiritual and immortal’ soul,the human person is ‘the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake.’ From his conception, he is destined for eternal beatitude.” CCC 1703

23. True Quality of Life “Man therefore possesses a dignity essentially superior to other visible creatures, living and inanimate. As such he is called to collaborate with God in the task of subduing the earth .” -John Paul II, address to the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life 19 February 2005

24. Rooted in Prayer, what can we do to promote a culture of life? “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!”  1 Cor 9:16  

25. What is Pro-Life? “Providing support for pregnant women so they choose to have their babies is a necessary but not sufficient response to abortion. Similarly, reversal of Roe is a necessary but not sufficient condition for restoring an order of justice in our society’s treatment of defenseless human life. This act by itself would not automatically grant legal protection to the unborn. It would remove an enormous obstacle to such protection, so the people of the United States and their elected representatives in every state could engage in a genuine discussion of how to save unborn children and their mothers from the tragedy of abortion. Both approaches to opposing abortion are essential.” Joint Statement by Cardinal Justin Rigali and Bishop William Murphy

26. Become a Saint “Life offers only one tragedy, in the end: not to have been a saint” Leon Bloy

27. The Lone Defender of Reason “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth…” “In reaffirming the truth of faith, we can both restore to our contemporaries a genuine trust in their capacity to know and challenge philosophy to recover and develop its own full dignity.” Veritatis Splendor

28. The Road Ahead “The time for easy Christianity is over. In fact, it never existed. We’re blessed to be rid of the illusion. We need to be more zealous in our faith, not more discreet; clearer in our convictions, no muddier; and more Catholic, not less.” Archbishop Charles Chaput, Render Unto Caesar

29. Questions?