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WASHINGTON (August 23, 2007)— The 2007-08 Respect Life Program is now available in preparation for Respect Life Sunday, October 7. This year's theme is taken from Luke's Gospel (1:44): "The Infant in My Womb Leaped for Joy." This passage from the Visitation story reflects Elizabeth's joy and amazement on being greeted by her cousin Mary, when Elizabeth and her unborn child John recognized they were in the presence of the unborn Jesus. The biblical theme contrasts their sense of awe at the unborn child with contemporary society's view of the human embryo as a mere commodity that can be created, manipulated, or even destroyed for research purposes. In his August 2007 address to the annual Diocesan Pro-Life Directors' gathering, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, Chairman of the bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities, noted the need for such awe and reverence at human life, particularly in bioethics. "Human dignity, not progress at any price, should be the fundamental guiding value in scientific research," he said. "When scientists do their job well, they serve humanity and the common good." Begun in 1972, the Respect Life program brings Church teaching on the value and dignity of human life to the Catholic community and the wider public. The program combines education, prayer, service, and advocacy. Respect Life Sunday is observed in virtually all of the 195 Catholic dioceses in the United States. The eight pamphlets in this year's packet address a broad array of topics:
- abortion and Catholic social teaching
- assisted reproductive technology
- caring for aging loved ones
- the failure of contraception to reduce abortions
- discovering hope and love after an adverse prenatal diagnosis
- the abortion-breast cancer link
- the respect owed to persons who are mentally ill, and
- Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.