Public Policy

An important component of the work of the Respect Life Apostolate is its effort to impact public policy. Without successfully improving our laws, our efforts to educate and provide abortion alternatives will achieve limited results.

Archbishop Burke's Pastoral Letter "On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good"

The number of abortions in the United States increased dramatically after the 1973 decisions by the Supreme Court. The law not only permits abortion but it teaches abortion. The laws of our nation should not permit us to violate fundamental rights of other human beings. The legality of abortion communicates a message that abortion is a legitimate and ethical option to deny many the first and fundamental right of the Right to Life. Laws should assist the efforts of the Church and others in the private sector who attempt to provide quality alternatives to individuals facing a crisis pregnancy. Our nation's public policies need to prohibit abortion and offer support to parents, children and families.

The RLA works with Parish Respect Life Committees to maintain and build effective letter-writing efforts and phone trees which can be mobilized to contact public officials regarding pertinent legislation. The RLA works in close cooperation with the Missouri Catholic Conference and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to keep the people of the Archdiocese well informed about legislation on the state and federal levels.

". . . To be actively Pro-Life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all other inalienable rights of individuals are founded."

Pope John Paul II
Evangelium Vitae