|
The National Right to
Life Committee (NRLC) joins with millions worldwide in mourning
the death of Pope John Paul II.
“Pope John Paul II was an
unfaltering voice for the unborn, the disabled and the elderly and was a
strong defender of the right to life,” stated Wanda Franz, Ph.D.,
president of the National Right to Life Committee. “His stalwart
opposition to the evils of abortion, infanticide and euthanasia was
grounded in compassion and love and he will be deeply missed.”
Pope John Paul II was an outspoken
pro-life advocate and throughout his 26-year papacy, he helped bring the
Catholic Church to the forefront of the battle against legalized
abortion and euthanasia worldwide. In his public addresses, Pope John
Paul II would often reaffirm the Church’s support for life from
conception to natural death. He encouraged outreach to women who have
had abortions, offering them help and healing.
The Pope was extremely vocal in his defense of
life. In March 1995, he issued Evangelium Vitae, an
encyclical which reaffirmed the universal right to life for all people.
In March 2004, during a Vatican conference on the “vegetative” state, he
issued the first clear and explicit papal statement on the moral
obligation to provide food and water for patients in a “persistent
vegetative state,” stating that “the administration of food and
water...always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a
medical act.” |
