Respect Life! 
¡Respetemos la Vida! 
Catholic teaching on euthanasia, the death penalty, war, genocide and abortion are rooted in the same concern for the sanctity of the human person. But these different issues do not all have the same gravity or moral content. They are not equivalent. 
War can sometimes be legitimate as a form of self-defense. The same can apply, in extraordinary circumstances, to the death penalty. But euthanasia is always an inexcusable attack on the weak. Genocide is always the premeditated murder of entire groups of people. And abortion is always a deliberate assault on a defenseless and innocent unborn child. It can never be justified. It is always - and intrinsically - gravely wrong. 

Today, as a result of steady improvements to the organization of the penal system, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressors.  It is very rare today, that authorities should need to use the death penalty to defend society. 

Regarding genetic enhancement:  It is theoretically possible that genetic enhancement could be truly beneficial for individuals and society and, at the same time, respect the origins of life and the integrity of the human person. The present state of the scientific process does not meet those requirements, however. For these reasons genetic enhancement of human embryos is immoral under Catholic teaching. 

Regarding the process of dying:  "The awareness that the dying person will soon meet God for all eternity should impel his or her relatives, loved ones, the medical, health-care and religious personnel, to help him or her in this decisive phase of life, with concern that pays attention to every aspect of existence, including the spiritual." ("Faith responds to fears about death" by Pope John Paul II) 

Where will the battle for the culture of life be lost or won? Not in any courtroom, but  in the most intimate relations between human beings, in the quiet conviction of the hearts of faithful people like you and me dedicated to the Church teachings, where human life is always loved and defended.

Help Build a World Where Human Life Is Always Loved and Defended!

The above article was paraphrased from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Respect Life Program found at: www.usccb.org/prolife/programs which reflects on War, Capital Punishment, Genetic Enhancement, Dying with Dignity, Euthanasia, and Abortion.  - Scott Wright, director of Social Ministry
St. Francis of Assisi - FORUM - October 2, 2005.