by Chuck Weber
For a greater respect of life, from conception to natural death, we pray to the Lord.”
This familiar petition frequently offered at Sunday Mass invites us to always pray for and value each human life at every stage. It is a core Catholic Church teaching. Pivoting to integrate church teaching into public policy — the law of the land — presents unique challenges.
There is a growing sentiment in the United States, including Kansas, toward legalizing assisted suicide and euthanizing the elderly or terminally ill. The despicably dishonest sales pitch for “compassion” or “choices” ending in death is spreading like a cancer throughout Western culture.
Unproven and unnecessary experiments on living human embryos, the so-called “leftovers” from the in vitro fertilization, were all the rage a decade ago. More than a million such lives are now suspended in a cryo-frozen state.
Billions of public dollars have been spent worldwide to facilitate the destruction of these forgotten lives under the guise of curing diseases or other conditions. Still, not one patient has been cured because of embryo-destructive research.
Perhaps the most obvious and horrific desecration of human life in our midst is that at least 60 preborn babies are now being lost to abortion in Kansas every day. This human rights catastrophe, deceitfully sold by the abortion industry as the solution to unwanted pregnancies, desecrates the dignity of the human person.
Catholics seeking a consistent viewpoint of human life should also consider the practice of the death penalty. Currently legal in Kansas, no one has been executed for 60 years. There are nine people on death row in Kansas.
With the encouragement of the Catholic bishops of Kansas, the Kansas Catholic Conference is supporting legislation to eliminate the death penalty. This is an admittedly difficult position for many, especially those whose friends and family members have been victimized by violent crime.
Legislation known as SB 245 would eliminate the death penalty in Kansas prospectively, which means current cases and sentences would not be impacted.
Eliminating the death penalty in Kansas is pro-life. It sends a clear signal that, even for the most abhorrent offenses, we are called to seek public policies that offer the chance for authentic redemption and rehabilitation over retribution and vengeance.
Open your heart to the death penalty discussion. Consider different viewpoints about how culture can address acts of evil and just punishment. Go online to: www.ksabolition.org, a website with solid information, including details of a special event in Overland Park on Nov. 22.
We can be consistent supporters of human life.
