Today marks the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, a date that still carries a heavy weight in our national memory. Even though that decision has been overturned, the deeper issue it revealed has not disappeared. At its heart, Roe wasn’t simply about a court case, it was about whether we truly believe that every human life has dignity simply because it exists.

The Church teaches that the dignity of the human person does not come from size, strength, independence, or usefulness. The dignity of the human person comes from God. He is the one who gives us life; He is the one who gives us our worth. To drive that point home, Pope Benedict XVI once said: “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.” From the very first moment of our existence, from the moment we were conceived within our mothers’ wombs, the Lord knew us and loved us. Scripture tells us that God is the one who knits us together in the womb. God knows that we exist before anyone else; He is the one who fashions us and shapes us.

That’s why the unborn deserve legal protection. Not because they are “potential persons,” but because they are persons. Not because they might become useful someday, but because they already bear the image of God. When a society fails to recognize that truth, when it fails to protect its most vulnerable members, something in that society’s moral vision begins to erode.

At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. in 1994, Mother Teresa had the courage to ask, “if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” Those words are really uncomfortable, but they reveal a deep truth for us to think about. When life becomes conditional, dignity becomes fragile. When dignity becomes fragile, everyone is at risk…and we, unfortunately, see that happening throughout our country and throughout the world.

Today is not only about remembering a painful chapter in our history. It is also about prayer and hope. We pray for laws that reflect truth. We pray for leaders who have the courage to defend life even when it is unpopular. We pray for mothers and fathers facing fear and uncertainty, that we might surround them with compassion and real support. We can’t just say we want babies to be born; we have to be there to support families after the fact. And we pray for healing for those who carry wounds from past decisions where they felt trapped, trusting that God’s mercy is always greater than our sin.

As we leave here today, we have a mission. Speak about life; but speak with charity and courage. Pray daily for the unborn and for their families. And examine our own hearts to make sure that we defend human dignity consistently, from conception to natural death.

May our prayer today help shape a culture where every life is welcomed, where every life is protected and cared for, and above all, where every life is loved.

Photo: Rally for Life, Elyssa DeDios. Used under Unsplash license.