Although Christmas is months away, the celebration of Respect Life Month in October invites us to recall that, “at the dawn of salvation, it is the birth of a Child which is proclaimed as joyful news: this saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God…but also the incomparable value of every human person” (Evangelium Vitae, Pope St. John Paul II).
Each person is infinitely loved and willed by God. Life itself is a fundamental right granted to the person as a gift from the Creator. This right is not bestowed by any human authority, though temporal authorities (the state) have a duty to safeguard it.
For these reasons, the Church is opposed to “whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia or willful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind…whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment … slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children… disgraceful working conditions …all these things and others like them” (Gaudium et Spes, 27).
The Church in the United States has recognized October as Respect Life Month since 1973, the year Roe v. Wade was decided. Throughout the month, we are called to deeper prayer and intentional action in service of our belief in the dignity of life from the moment of conception to natural death.
In Ohio, much has transpired following the overturn of Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision in 2022. Notably, the enshrinement of abortion into the Ohio Constitution, which the bishops in Ohio called “a tragic day for women, children and families in Ohio” in a letter on the passage of the ballot measure.
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After the passage of Issue 1, the constitutional amendment, in 2023, abortion is now permitted with few restrictions, even for non-life-threatening indications and where risk of serious bodily harm to the mother may not be present. Laws that made sure women received information about abortion alternatives and available supportive services through pregnancy and beyond are no longer in effect. Tragically, the Ohio Department of Health reports a 15 percent increase in abortions from 2024 to 2025 (the year after the amendment became law), which the department attributes to telehealth prescriptions for abortions.
Where does this leave us as a people committed to the dignity of women, the sanctity of life and the upbuilding of a civilization of love and life?
Well, because of the babe born at Bethlehem, in a posture of enduring hope.
Today, the Catholic Bishops in Ohio invite the state’s faithful to consider how we might each renew our commitment to a culture of life by accompanying women and upholding the sanctity of human life.
In a letter to the faithful released on the first day of Respect Life month, they write, “credibility of our pro-life witness depends on our fidelity to the Church’s teaching on the Gospel of Life in proclaiming truth in charity, and in large part, upon whether those most in need can experience a Church of compassion that is willing to remain steadfastly with them, especially in their most desperate and fearful moments. Our Christian witness is incomplete if we raise one hand to proclaim, ‘no abortion,’ without stretching out the other in compassion toward mothers in need.”
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In this spirit, the bishops invite Ohio’s Catholics to:
- Pray and offer acts of penance for the protection of life.
- Form parishes as centers of “accompaniment, support and healing” for women and families in need.
- Bear witness to the sanctity of life in the public square.
Over the past nearly two years, the Catholic Conference of Ohio (the state’s conference of Catholic bishops and their official voice in matters of public policy) has supported state House Bill 72 and Senate Bill 134. This legislation would shore up prohibitions on state-funded abortion, prevent state-funded assisted suicide and end wasteful spending on capital punishment, thereby abolishing the death penalty. All are welcome to join the Church of Ohio in this policy effort, read and pray over the bishops’ letter, and engage with your parish and diocesan respect-life ministries.
This October, let us remember that the victory of life has already been won in Christ. We are called to celebrate that victory through our witness and service to others.
May it be Christmas for us year-round.
For more information, visit ohiocathconf.org/respect-life.
Marsha Forson serves as associate director at the Catholic Conference of Ohio.