Living Christian principles on human life

October 2, 2003

Dear Friends in Christ,

Each year we celebrate the month of October in our church as Pro-Life Month. We rededicate ourselves to the protection of human life from the moment of conception to natural death. This issue remains the single most important issue in our country.

There is no other moral or social reality that is and will be as crucial in our country and in the world as the protection of human life, most especially in its earliest stages and in the fragility of age and sickness. God created every human life in his image. All of us, you, me, the unborn child, the disabled , the slum dweller in an undeveloped country, the sick, the comatose, the weak, all of us possess inherent God-given dignity equal to that of every other person.

Surely, life is a gift, one to take care of and nurture; never is it to be thrown away. God calls us to safeguard this gift and we can do no less than heed that divine call.

There are many things we can do, many programs and activities we can support and initiate that protect and support the needy, the illiterate, the poor and the disenfranchised. But no matter how many of these programs we support, unless the fundamental right to life of each human being is respected and fostered, from conception to natural death, the structures of our community and social life have no solid foundation. It is like building our house on sand.

Ever since the Roe vs. Wade decision of our Supreme Court to legalize abortion was enacted, we have watched and lived through the abdication of our government and citizens to do its/their duty, to protect and defend human life at its most vulnerable. That decision has eroded fundamental principles of our nation. Over 40 million children have been destroyed.

Roe vs. Wade has also become a banner for abortion advocates and politicians who support them. Allegiance to the distorted vision of Roe has become the "sine qua non" for presidential aspirants of one political party and even a litmus test used by a number of politicians in evaluating judicial nominees, a fact recently in the news.

At the same time, a large number of constitutional scholars have roundly criticized the Court's ruling in Roe vs. Wade as not being grounded in the Constitution at all. A raw exercise of judicial power has led to a moral and cultural debacle in our country.

As citizens of our great nation, however, we have both the honor and duty to work for the end of such violations of human life. We need to actively advance our convictions IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE and be prepared to answer our detractors, even those within our own household of faith who take a pro-abortion position. We must be ready to explain to them carefully how wrong such a position is and what a violation of the human person it entails. We need a more intense re-dedication to this important issue, to uphold the sanctity of human life and we need to hold those elected to represent us to be responsible to the same standard.

I pray that the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Sioux City will live their Catholic Christian principles on human life with clarity, will advocate for policies and politicians who respect the sacredness of the human person and begin to create anew a culture, government and society that affirms the glory and dignity of each human person.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

†Most Rev. Daniel N. DiNardo
Bishop of Sioux City