Respect Life

Statement of the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey
on the Reproductive Freedom Act

The Catholic Church believes and teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death. For that reason, we, the Bishops of each of the dioceses in New Jersey, join in voicing the strongest possible opposition to the “Reproductive Freedom Act.” Without minimizing other serious threats to human life and dignity evident in contemporary American society, the Catholic Church consistently maintains that “the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.” (USCCB, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, “Introductory Letter,” 2020).

When informed of the text of the USCCB document early in 2020, Pope Francis observed that the right to life of the unborn “is the most fundamental right. This is not first a religious issue; it is a human rights issue.” (Pope Francis to American Catholic Bishops, USCCB Region IX, January 16, 2020).”

As the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey, we urge all Catholics and people of good will to reject this proposed legislative initiative in our state and to contact your State legislators* to vigorously express opposition to its passage.
 
* Visit https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/selectmun.asp for information about your state representatives. See the Legislative Updates page for more information on this bill.
 

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Respecting life is not only about abortion and physician-assisted suicide. It is also about human trafficking, which denies the dignity of human beings:

“Never Been as Many Slaves in the World as Today” 

So said Gabriella Bottani of Talitha Kum, a global network of nuns that assists trafficked persons, as she participated in a nun’s march in Vatican City last month. The International Labor Organization estimates that almost 25 million people are in forced labor worldwide; about 20% of those are in forced sexual exploitation. The Talitha Kum group is based in Rome and operates in 92 nations to coordinate the actions of Catholic nuns who fight human trafficking. It supports women who had been sold into prostitution as well as the thousands of adults and children who are sold into forced labor or slavery. Pope Francis again spoke out on behalf of the millions of men, women and children who are trafficked and enslaved, calling human trafficking a “scourge” and an “open wound.” [E. Povoledo, “Nuns March,” NYTimes, 2/10/20]
 

A message for Respect Life Month from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.

I am convinced, after almost 65 years on this earth, that all of the problems impacting us in this world of ours derive from a single root cause: the failure to “respect life in all its stages, from conception to natural death.”

Abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment; acts of terror and war; escalating crime; violence and wanton killing of innocents; domestic and sexual abuse; drugs and gang crimes; the immigration crisis; poverty and inequality; discrimination and injustice; racism and hatred; breakdown of the family; blatant disregard for the environment — these are all “life issues” because they tear at the most basic obligation of every human: to respect life. Think about it for a moment.

To read the full message from Bishop David M. O'Connell C.M. click here.

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Calls to Action:

Speak out against the Reproductive Freedom Act in NJ. Call, email, or send a letter to your representatives to explain why this law is a travesty of freedom, and destroys your constitutional right to freedom of religion. It also makes abortions much more dangerous for the women who choose to have them. Read more about it on the Legislative Updates page. You can find a link that makes it easy for you to make your opposition known in the article "Action Needed" under News in the column on the left of this page. Don't wait! Speak now, or we will suffer the consequences.

40 Days for Life

Join our Cohort Respect Life groups in the 40 days of Lent to pray for an end to abortion, and to provide public witness and prayer in front of the Planned Parenthood facility in the Golden Crest Office Park on Rt. 33. For more information, see the 40 Days for Life page on our website.

See the Legislative Updates page for information on the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.

Don't be discouraged in the face of media insistence on abortion at any time. Most of America doesn't agree:

• Gallup polling indicates that
  • 76% of Americans support laws that protect babies who survive an abortion,
  • 81% oppose abortions in the third trimester, and
  • 65% oppose abortions in the second trimester.
• A Rasmussen poll showed that 70% of Americans agree that doctors should be required to provide medical care to a child who survives an abortion.
• And a Basswood Research survey found that 54% of Americans oppose 97%- 100% of all abortions. [Priests for Life, 9/13/19

Upcoming Events

• Online Rosary Vigil for Life: Our Parish Respect Life Committee hosts a Zoom Meeting at 6:45 pm every Wednesday to pray the rosary for an end to both abortion and the coronavirus pandemic. Sign in to the meeting by 6:40 pm by clicking on https://zoom.us/j/138600474?pwd=VHUrQVFUL3FGUEM0TUtsS1g4NnpTUT09, then clicking on “join the meeting.” Meeting ID: 138 600 474; password: 736053.
• Saturdays throughout the year: Our Parish Respect Life Committee participates in a prayer vigil at the abortion clinic on Kuser Rd. Stop by and pray any time between 7 and 9 AM on a Saturday!
• Project 20/20: Pray and fast on the first Friday of each month remaining in 2020 to attain equal rights for babies in the womb. The first goal is to pass the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (A-2228/S429), which will ban abortion after 20 weeks post fertilization. The science is clear that by 20 weeks babies in the womb feel pain. For details and more information, visit http://equalrightsforbabiesinthewomb.com/.
• October 1, at our parish: For anyone interested in becoming further involved in the struggle to protect life, please plan to attend our next parish Respect Life meeting:

Our next Respect Life meeting will be held

Virtually on

Thursday, Oct. 15
at 7 pm
in the Church Meeting Room
at Our Lady of Sorrows

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Our Respect Life group defends the God-given life and dignity of all human persons from conception until natural death. Our goal is to build a Culture of Life and of Love through

• education,
• outreach, and
• advocacy.

God is calling us to respect life, the gift He has given us all. We must share this message with everyone and let all know that life, being a gift from God, should be cherished and protected at every stage. Those carrying the gift of life need to know that they are not alone and help is available. Join us and learn how to talk with others about sensitive Life Issues and become better at supporting family and friends. Learn to effectively advocate to others in our community for Life from “conception to natural death.” Draw closer, a little at a time, to Our Lord, who is always walking with us.

Being pro-life is not in opposition to science...quite the opposite, in fact!

Medical and technological advancements continue to reaffirm the science behind the pro-life cause—that life begins at fertilization, or day one, when egg meets sperm and a new, unique, human embryo is created.

From the moment of fertilization, our DNA is present, whether it’s 23 pairs of chromosomes or 22.
The unique fingerprint that each of us has, distinguishing us from any other human on the planet, is determined by that DNA at day one! Right from the beginning of life, you are becoming the unique, incredible, unrepeatable person that you are!

For more information on the science of life, see When Is a Baby Human?

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Did you know...

At day 22, the heart of the child in the womb begins to beat with the child's own blood, often a different blood type than the mother's. At week 6, brain waves are detectable, the mouth and lips are present, and fingers are forming. By week 8, every organ is in place, and fingerprints begin to form. The baby in the womb can frown at 9-10 weeks. At week 11, the baby can grasp an object placed in his or her hand, and by week 17, the baby can dream (have REM sleep).

Abortion is a common experience. At current rates, about one in three American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45. Moreover, a broad cross section of U.S. women have abortions: 57% of women having abortions are in their 20s; 60% have one or more children; 86% are unmarried; 57% are economically disadvantaged; 88% live in a metropolitan area; and 78% report a religious affiliation. No racial or ethnic group makes up a majority: 41% are white non-Hispanic, 32% are black non-Hispanic, 20% are Hispanic and 7% are of other racial backgrounds.

It is time to pray, and it is a time to make a difference. The definition of Life, as we know it as Catholic Christians, is being re-written and not for the better. Jesus is calling us all to serve as he did and to respect life at all stages. Our Catholic faith, through the teachings of Jesus Christ, clearly tells us that all life, at every stage, is a gift from God. We must spread this news that life is a gift from God and this gift is to be honored and cherished. This gift is not returnable and does not come with a return receipt.

We must learn and educate ourselves on how to help Our Lady of Sorrows and St Anthony parishioners with respect life issues they themselves are dealing with. Please come join us for our next meeting and let us learn and work together to not only walk our faith but live our faith. Let’s make a difference, especially for those who have no voice and desperately need our help. They must learn that they are not alone.

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Words of Life

Each of us is a "creature" whose origin is the loving gaze of God, who looks upon us "within His very self" and draws us forth from this Love. This is the love that is the very being of God; the love of the Father for the Son, the love of the Son for the Father, the Holy Spirit that is love. This is what being created in the image and likeness of God means: to be drawn forth from love; created for love. Thus, every human life conceived in the womb is conceived with a spark of divinity! No wonder we cherish all life as sacred and worthy of the dignity of the children of God. No wonder we believe that all life conceived in the womb is worth all our effort to protect so that the child may come forth from the Light of God into the light of the world.