Racism, Abortion, Mothers, and the Sick: Reflections on the USCCB Pro-Life Leadership Conference

Last week, the staff of the Indiana Catholic Conference virtually attended the annual meeting of diocesan pro-life directors hosted by the USCCB.

The unique perspectives offered during this conference helped us reflect on the interconnectedness of all issues which affect human life.

Bridging the Divide Between Racism and Abortion

The Church is not exempt from the cultural divides found in society. Archbishop Naumann of Kansas City, Bishop Fabre of Houma-Thibodaux and Danielle Brown, Associate Director for the USCCB Ad-Hoc Committee Against Racism, addressed the topic of racism as a life issue. For many Catholics, speaking about life issues will call to mind the need for protection of the unborn. The Church, however, has made it clear that a focus on this preeminent issue does not exclude the grave need to address other life issues. Bishop Fabre and Daniele Brown challenged the Church to unify her efforts across the country in fighting for the rights of the unborn and the elimination of the sin of racism in society.

Why is this approach powerful? It brings together staff, volunteers, and advocates across pro-life and social justice ministries and compels them to work together to the advantage of those whom we serve. Some dioceses around the country have already combined these ministries in some version of a “Life and Justice” office or committee.

Additionally, this approach rejects the false divide on life issues we find in secular politics. Instead, the natural unification against injustice and the defense of the rights of the human person at any stage of life is found at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine. It is a call for Catholics to unite “across the aisle”, so to speak. 

Walking with Moms

Advocates for the dignity of the unborn child are familiar with the challenge “Do you even care about the women who are considering an abortion?”

The Church is committed fully to accompanying the vulnerable at any stage of life, and the Walking with Moms in need is the USCCB’s latest initiative to connect Catholic parishes to meaningful opportunities to assist women in need. This has resonance as we are in the midst of the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae.  A vast network of parishes with embedded social ministries has the capacity to regularly interact with and assist women in need. The initiative serves as a guide for individual parish discernment on how parish resources might work best in collaboration with local pregnancy centers, offering themselves as a conduit to supportive and accompanying care for mothers who face unexpected pregnancies without adequate social support.

Caring for the Sick

The equally important life issue of palliative care was covered in-depth during a session. Palliative care, often confused with hospice care, is the accompaniment and care for a person with a serious illness at any stage of life, and often includes physical, emotional, and spiritual care. The Church supports and upholds this type of care as one that recognizes human dignity in the face of great suffering.

The Role of the Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) in Respect Life

The ICC will continue to closely follow legislation in Indiana during each meeting of the General Assembly (from January-April in 2021). Where the dignity of the human person is threatened by proposed legislation, the ICC will consistently apply the Church’s teaching to advocate against the threat. Additionally, the ICC supports legislation which promotes the common good and upholds human dignity.

To Ponder:

During the next few months, how will you work to heal divisions in society and in the Church while upholding the dignity of human life at all stages?