An Agreed Statement
on Respect for Life
U.S. Theological Consultation, 1974
We, the members of the
Orthodox-Roman Catholic Bilateral Consultation in the United States, after
extensive discussions on the sanctity of marriage, feel compelled to make a
statement concerning the inviolability of human life in all its forms.
We recognize that human life is a gift of God entrusted to mankind and so feel
the necessity of expressing our shared conviction about its sacred character
in concrete and active ways. It is true that the Christian community's concern
has recently seemed to be selective and disproportionate in this regard, e.g.,
in the anti-abortion campaign. Too often human life has been threatened or
even destroyed, especially during times of war, internal strife, and violence,
with little or no protestation from the Christian leadership. Unfortunately,
the impression has frequently been given that churchmen are more concerned
with establishing the legitimacy of war or capital punishment than with the
preservation of human life. We know that this has been a scandal for many,
both believers and unbelievers.
We feel constrained at this point in history to affirm that the "right to
life" implies a right to a decent life and to full human development, not
merely to a marginal existence.
We affirm that the furthering of this goal for the unborn, the mentally
retarded, the aging, and the underprivileged is our duty on a global as well
as a domestic scale.
We deplore in particular the U.S. Supreme Court's decision failing to
recognize the rights of the unborn--a decision which has led to widespread
indiscriminate early abortion.
We affirm our common Christian tradition with regard to the right of the
unborn to life.
We acknowledge our responsibility to mediate the love of Christ, especially to
the troubled expectant mother, and thus make possible the transmission and
nurturing of new life and its fully human development.
We urge our churches and all believers to take a concrete stand on this matter
at this time and to exemplify this evangelical imperative in their personal
lives and professional decisions.
Washington, D.C.
May 24, 1974
l0th meeting
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Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000