The Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1954 reminds us that there is such a thing as natural moral law.
We as pro-lifers face a tremendous challenge with the possible repeal of the Hyde Amendment. Abortion is legal in the United States of America and, sadly, it does not look like this law will be going away any time soon, especially not during this current presidential administration.
At its essence, the natural moral law is fairly simple and it is possessed by and needs to be applied by all men and women — our human reason ordering us to “do good and avoid evil.”
The actual definition from the Catechism is rather clear:
“Man participates in the wisdom and goodness of the Creator who gives him mastery over his acts and the ability to govern himself with a view to the true and the good. The natural law expresses the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil, the truth, and the lie.
“The natural law is written and engraved in the soul of each and every man because it is human reason ordaining him to do good and forbidding him to sin . . . But this command of human reason would not have the force of law if it were not the voice and interpreter of a higher reason to which our spirit and our freedom must be submitted.”
“Do good, avoid evil.” The preservation of human life is good; the taking of any human life is evil. Abortion, in itself, is a grave moral evil. No one in his or her right mind can argue that it is good. It cannot and should not ever become the norm of life. It is not a form of contraception by any means. Those women who find themselves in a circumstance where they might be considering procuring an abortion need to be loved and supported by those who are pro-life.
It is the duty of the pro-life community to create a world where the possibility of abortion is unthinkable, a world where every mother and child is supported, loved, and cared for, before, during, and after childbirth. It is the duty of the pro-life community to care for and to create situations that provide assistance to children who are disabled, to mothers who are impoverished, and to teach the fathers of children the nature of responsibility of caring for families.
Simply put, it is not enough to proclaim oneself to be pro-life and simply be anti-abortion. No, one must care for the whole human person as one who is created in the image and likeness of God, one who is created fundamentally good, and one who is loved by God and who possesses immense dignity as a child of God. A person who is pro-life must care for persons from conception to natural death. A person who is pro-life cannot be racist or sexist. A person who is pro-life cares not only for the child in the womb, but the child outside the womb, as well as the mother and the family of the unborn child.
If we wish to create a pro-life world, a world where human dignity is upheld as paramount, then we must not permit federal taxes to subsidize and to encourage abortions. To do so clearly would be in direct opposition to the natural law. To do so would not be doing good and avoiding evil. To do so would clearly be disordered.
