Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God's Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.
Read Judie’s other commentaries from the past week on our website.
Week in Review
Planned Parenthood is suing the Department of Health and Human Services for new requirements to receive Title X funding that attempt to make the program more “pro-family.”
A recent call to prayer from US bishops reminds us that defending human life is first and foremost a spiritual battle.
Susan Ciancio published three articles across pro-life outlets this week.
What can St. Ignatius teach today’s teens about faith, purpose, and living a life of service to others? These booklets explain. ORDER HERE
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Pro-Life Social Media
Hear the powerful words of a former abortionist who finally came to understand the sanctity of life.
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The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the Blessed Mother’s entrance into heavenly glory. Mary’s Assumption into heaven reminds us that life on earth is a pilgrimage to our ultimate destination. We prepare in hope for our own passage into eternal life by the choices we make today. When we choose to love and follow God in our daily lives, we strengthen our relationship with Him, and this relationship is the true meaning of heaven: “To live in heaven is ‘to be with Christ’” (CCC, 1025).
We can see how, throughout her life, the Blessed Mother continually chose to go deeper into her relationship with God. She modeled how to value and respect His precious gift of human life, from the moment of conception to its natural end. In the Annunciation, through her “yes,” Mary witnessed to the undeniable humanity of pre-born children as she conceived and carried the Christ child in her womb. After the Annunciation, having learned that her cousin Elizabeth was with child, she went in haste to her aid.
Our Blessed Mother shows us how the way we live today can prepare us, in hope, to also enter into heavenly glory at the end of our lives. Are we open to God’s precious gift of new life? How do we support pregnant mothers and parents? Do we prioritize showing our love to those who are ill or aging? Do we care for them in a way that respects God’s gift of life?
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Choose one night to sleep without your pillow or on the floor. Consider how Mary welcomed the Christ-child in humble surroundings and pray for mothers who welcome their children amidst poverty and difficult circumstances today.
Offer some other sacrifice or prayer that you feel called to do for this month's intention.
One Step Further
Read the short reflection, “Called to Serve Moms in Need,” and reflect on how the Blessed Mother shows us how to support mothers and their children.
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco and Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ of Oakland, have just published a powerful piece in today’s Opinion section of The Wall Street Journal about the case we are defending in Oakland.
California is waging an outrageous attempt to punish two Christian nonprofits, our clients Heartbeat International and RealOptions, for helping women who regret taking the first abortion pill and connecting them with Abortion Pill Reversal treatment.
As Archbishop Cordileone and Bishop Barber write: “What kind of people see a pregnant woman who wants to reverse the effects of an abortion pill and think, ‘Let’s punish the nonprofits that informed her she has a choice’?”
There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.
The U.S. Catholic bishops issued a nationwide call to prayer and action July 27 over the rising abortion rate and the increased availability of an abortion-inducing drug.
“Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother. Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, wrote in a joint announcement of the call to prayer and action.
A federal policy permitting distribution of mifepristone, sometimes called the abortion pill, by mail that was first issued by the Biden administration has thus far been left in place by the second Trump administration.
The Department of Justice, under the current Trump administration, has sought to block state challenges to the policy pending a promised safety review by the Food and Drug Administration. But the status and timeline of the FDA review are unclear.
Archbishop Coakley and Bishop Thomas wrote the FDA “has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by allowing abortion pills to be prescribed in telehealth appointments and sold both at neighborhood pharmacies and online, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb.”
“This leaves women vulnerable to suffering an abortion alone at home, without any medical supervision,” they said. “It also sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or human traffickers.”
The bishops said that now through the end of October, when the Church in the U.S. marks Respect Life Month, “the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting Catholics to join a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills.”
They urged Catholics to seek “the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life” as well as to send messages to pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies that are involved. The Respect Life Prayer to St. Joseph can be found here in English and here in Spanish.
NYC update (through 2023, published 2026): New York City's 2023 abortion statistics showed 50,052 abortions reported in the city, an 8% increase from 2022. On the racial breakdown: non-Hispanic Black women obtained the largest share of abortions (33% of the total), and among non-Hispanic Black women in NYC, 48% of pregnancies ended in abortion versus 48% in live birth — essentially at parity — while non-Hispanic white women saw 11% end in abortion versus 86% in live birth. The ratio: 993 abortions per 1,000 live births for non-Hispanic Black women, compared to 127 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic white women. So as of the latest data, NYC is essentially at the 1:1 threshold for Black women citywide, without quite crossing it — a change from 2016, when it did cross.
“The second commandment of the teaching: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not seduce boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not use potions. You shall not procure [an] abortion, nor destroy a newborn child” (Didache 2:1–2 [A.D. 70]).
5. Wrath is a reminder of hidden hatred, that is to say, remembrance of wrongs. Wrath is a desire for the injury of the one who has provoked you. Irascibility is the untimely blazing up of the heart. Bitterness is a movement of displeasure seated in the soul. Anger is an easily changeable movement of one's disposition and disfiguration of soul.
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