A baby gestures minutes after being born at a hospital in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Oct. 21. The world’s population will reach 7 billion Oct. 31, according to projections by the United Nations, which said the global milestone presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the planet.
The Catholic Church has been clear in the promoting the dignity and value of all lives on the planet.
During this Respect Life Month, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas, who is chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, has said, “Jesus’ promise of ‘life to the full’ is especially poignant today, when our culture and sometimes our government promote values inimical to the happiness and true good of individuals and society.
“The unborn child, the aging parent whom some call a ‘burden’ on our medical system, the allegedly ‘excess’ embryo in the fertility clinic, the person with a disability, the cognitively impaired accident victim who needs assistance in receiving food and water to live — each today is at risk of being dismissed as a ‘life unworthy of life,’” he added.
