Respect Life

October is Respect Life Month, and OLG has several opportunities to learn, participate, and advocate for life. All human life is sacred and due dignity.

Ways to Participate

Read Cardinal Sean O'Malley's Respect Life Statement

40 Days for Life

Flag Planting for Unborn Babies

Pro-Life Facts

• There are over one million abortions each year in the United States. (Operation Rescue)
• The US abortion rate is among the highest of all developed countries in the world. (Second Look Project)
• His Holiness Pope John Paul II, 1995, stated " . . . from the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with its own growth."(MyCatholicSource.com)
• A fetus has different DNA from its mother at the moment of conception. (MyCatholicSource.com)
• An unborn baby's heart begins to beat 18-21 days after fertilization. (nrlc.org)
• Most abortions are done after the fetal heart has begun beating. (Second Look Project)
• An embryo's brain waves can be detected six weeks after conception. (Right to Life)
• By 8 weeks, the unborn child can feel pain. The unborn child has its own fingerprints and all body systems are present. (MyCatholicSource.com)
• Research indicates that 98% of all abortions are related to issues of personal choice. (Pro Life Action League)
• Eighteen per cent of US women obtaining abortions are teenagers. (Guttmacher Institute)
• Why should parents expect profit-making abortion clinics to have their daughter's best interest at heart? (Right to Life)
• Adoption is an option. (40 Days for Life)

PLEASE PRAY FOR AN END TO ABORTION!

For more information or for people to talk to about Respect Life Ministries, please click here!

Prayer To End The Use Of The Death Penalty

Merciful Father, we ask your blessing on all we do to build a culture of life. Hear our prayers for those impacted by the death penalty.

We pray for all people, that their lives and dignity as children of a loving God may be respected and protected in all stages and circumstances.

We pray for victims of violence and their families, that they may experience our love and support and find comfort in your compassion and in the promise of eternal life.

We pray for those on death row, that their lives may be spared, that the innocent may be freed and that the guilty may come to acknowledge their faults and seek reconciliation with you.

We pray for the families of those who are facing execution, that they may be comforted by your love and compassion.

We pray for civic leaders, that they may commit themselves to respecting every human life and ending the use of the death penalty in our land.

Compassionate Father, give us wisdom and hearts filled with your love. Guide us as we work to end the use of the death penalty and to build a society that truly chooses life in all situations.

We ask this Father through your Son Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Amen