Idirghuí
Go n-oibríonn ceannairí sibhialta chun an bheatha daonna uile a chosaint, i ngach céim agus i ngach cúinse.
Paidreacha
Ár nAthair, 3 Sé do bheatha, a Mhuire, Glóir Don Athair
Machnamh
Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”. Every one of us has a right to our life. It is not given to us by any law or government. We have it ‘as of right’, whether we are wealthy or poor, healthy or sick.
The decision of our society that one category of human being should have that right taken from them is truly shocking. It effectively says that unborn children do not exist or, if they do, they do not count. This is a manifest injustice: any law that removes the right to life is an unjust law and must be resisted by every person, every voter, every political representative.
Those who work as public officials and civic leaders have a duty to serve the common good, and therefore have a profound obligation to safeguard this most fundamental right to life. For Catholic politicians this is not only a matter of protecting the human right to life but also a fundamental matter of our faith. Our faith informs our conscience and we don’t leave conscience outside the door when we go to work as legislators.
Voters have a duty to inform themselves on the position of election candidates in respect of their willingness to support and cherish equally the lives of mothers and their unborn children. Through our own prayer, witness, and civic participation, we can encourage our leaders to truly answer their call to protect the rights of all people. For “there can be no true democracy without a recognition of every person’s dignity and without respect for his or her rights” (Evangelium Vitae 101).
