While this week’s edition of The Tablet highlights the March for Life — the annual pro-life gathering in Washington near the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade — we are also focusing on broader pro-life issues, including social justice, disabilities, human trafficking, and equal rights.
All of these issues espouse the value of human life at their core.
In addition to The Tablet, Currents News has also been at the forefront of covering these issues. And that message is being received across the country.
Just last week, at the March for Life, one of Currents News’ reporters heard someone in the crowd say, “Wow, Currents News is here!” Not recognizing the priest, she inquired, “What parish are you from in the diocese?” He replied that he is from Canton, Ohio, but uses the newscast as an educational resource.
As articulated in St. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical “Evangelium Vitae,” every human being bears the indelible image of the Creator, demanding our unwavering respect and protection. In a world that is increasingly fractured by individualism and exploitation, the pro-life ethos must extend far beyond the womb to encompass the breadth of human dignity.
At its core, the pro-life movement is rooted in the Gospel’s mandate to love our neighbor as ourselves. This begins with the unborn child, whose right to life is the foundation of all other rights. Abortion, often framed as a personal choice, is a profound injustice that silences the most voiceless among us. But a consistent ethic of life, as professed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, demands we address the systemic forces that drive women to such despair: poverty, lack of health care, and inadequate support for families.
Social justice is inseparable from pro-life advocacy. We cannot decry the destruction of life in the womb while ignoring other economic inequalities.
In our diocese, programs like Catholic Charities’ affordable housing and prenatal care initiatives exemplify how faith communities can bridge this gap, ensuring children are welcomed and nurtured.
This commitment extends to those with disabilities also, who too often face a culture that measures human worth by productivity or perfection.
By integrating individuals with disabilities into parish life and public policy, we live out Christ’s command to care for “the least of these,” fostering a culture where every life is seen as irreplaceable.
No discussion of human dignity can ignore the scourge of human trafficking — modern slavery that commodifies people for profit — which affects over 40 million humans, according to the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. From a Catholic viewpoint, this violates the fundamental truth that every person is a child of God, not a commodity. Pro-life advocacy must confront this evil by supporting organizations like the Sisters of Charity, who rescue and rehabilitate victims.
Social justice here means addressing root causes: global poverty, war, and corruption that displace the desperate.
By linking anti-trafficking efforts with pro-life principles, we are protecting life.
Ultimately, the pursuit of equal rights for all is the thread that weaves these issues together. In a secular world that selectively champions rights, the Catholic pro-life vision offers a radical alternative: equality grounded in our shared humanity under God. This also means rejecting euthanasia for the elderly or terminally ill, just as we reject discrimination against migrants or the incarcerated.
Catholics, let us recommit to a holistic pro-life stance that integrates social justice, that defends the disabled, combats human trafficking, and secures equal rights for every soul.