Sanctity of Life
Catholics care about the sanctity of life because the entire purpose of each soul God endows with life is to find its way back to God by loving God and caring for all the souls God has placed around it. Voluntary termination of life any time between conception and natural death necessarily frustrates that purpose.
The source of human dignity is the likeness to God that is bestowed on each of us at the moment we are conceived. We respond appropriately to this gift by using all the time, talent, and treasure that God has entrusted to us to seek and grow closer to God, by sharing in His continuing act of creation and caring for those around us. Our first purpose is to seek God, especially in one another. If we do that, everything else will be given to us. Anything that interferes with that is contrary to the Word of God. Genesis chapter 1; Matthew chapters 6, 22 & 25
Abortion & Euthanasia
“You shall not kill.”
– the 5th Commandment
The right to life from conception to natural death is the foundation of all Catholic Social Teaching, and in particular, implies the illicitness of every form of procured abortion and of euthanasia. – 155, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
“This is not something subject to alleged reforms or ‘modernizations.’ It is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life.”
Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 214
Human Engineering
Cloning and Cell Manipulation
An issue of particular social and cultural significance today, because of its many and serious moral implications, is human cloning… the simple replication of normal cells or of a portion of DNA presents no particular ethical problem. Very different, however, is cloning understood in the proper sense. Such cloning is contrary to the dignity of human procreation because it takes place in total absence of an act of personal love between spouses, being agamic and asexual reproduction. In the second place, this type of reproduction represents a form of total domination over the reproduced individual on the part of the one reproducing it…
Cloning for therapeutic use does not attenuate its moral gravity, because in order that such cells may be removed the embryo must first be created and then destroyed. 236, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Gender Election
Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral and spiritual difference and complementarities are oriented towards the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. -224 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Men and women with homosexual tendencies must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. – 358 Catechism of the Catholic Church
Population Growth; Birth Control; Family Planning
Judgment concerning the interval of time between births, and that regarding the number of children, belongs to the spouses alone. This is one of their inalienable rights, to be exercised before God… The intervention of public authorities must be made in a way that fully respects the freedom of the couple. All programmes of economic assistance aimed at financing campaigns of sterilization and contraception are to be morally condemned as affronts to the dignity of the person and the family.
The answer to questions connected with population growth must instead by sought in simultaneous respect both of sexual morals and of social ethics, promoting greater justice and authentic solidarity so that dignity is given to life in all circumstances.
All reproductive techniques — such as the donation of sperm or ova, surrogate motherhood, heterologous artificial fertilization — that make use of the uterus of another woman or of gametes of persons other than the married couple, injuring the right of the child to be born of one father and one mother who are father and mother are ethically unacceptable both from a biological and from a legal point of view. – 234-235, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Human Trafficking
The solemn proclamation of human rights is contradicted by a painful reality of violations, including new forms of slavery such as trafficking in human beings, illegal drug trafficking, prostitution. “Even in countries with democratic forms of government, these rights are not always fully respected”. Some serious problems remain unsolved: trafficking in children, the phenomenon of “street children, and the use of children for commerce in pornographic material. – 158, 245 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
The Bloc states that it works exclusively for Quebec, and it is not accountable to anti-choice lobbies.
Abortion & alternatives
The Bloc states that it is pro-choice and will:
– unconditionally defend the right of women to voluntarily terminate their pregnancies, and
– oppose any bill that would have the effect of limiting the right of women to control their own bodies
The Bloc has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
– Assisted Suicide or alternatives, including palliative care
– Human Engineering, including either stem cell, genetic, & embryo research or gender election
– Population, birth control & family planning
– Human trafficking & slavery
Abortion & alternatives
The party states that:
– abortion is not a Charter-protected right
– many recent studies have shown a link between abortion and breast cancer
The party advocates:
– protection of all innocent human life, starting at conception
– defunding of abortion
Assisted Suicide – & alternatives
The party states that killing innocent people is always wrong.
The party advocates:
– restoring protection from assisted suicide and euthanasia. The party wants to kill the pain, not the patient
– better access to palliative comfort care
– conscience protection for health care professionals; no Canadian should be forced to violate his or her conscience
Human Engineering
Stem cell, genetic, & embryo research
The party has released no official statement concerning its position on stem cell, genetic, or embryonic research.
Gender election
The party states that:
– there are two biological genders: male and female
– biological gender is encoded in the chromosomes and cannot be changed by surgery or chemicals
– children must be protected from the LGBTQ “gender agenda” which ignores biological reality
– parents’ rights to guide their children’s social development must be protected from indoctrination in the school system
– taxpayers should not have to pay for “gender reassignment surgery”, hormone blockers or other attempts to artificially change an individual’s gender
Population, birth control & family planning
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on population birth control, or family planning.
Human trafficking & slavery
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on human trafficking or slavery.
The party states that on issues of moral conscience, such as abortion, the definition of marriage, and euthanasia, its party members have the right to adopt positions in consultation with their constituents, and to vote freely.
The party advocates respect for conscience rights for doctors, nurses and others to refuse to participate in or make referrals for abortion, assisted suicide, or euthanasia
Abortion – & alternatives
The party states that:
– it will not support any legislation to regulate abortion
– abortion should be excluded from Canada’s maternal and child health program in countries where aid is delivered, since it is extremely divisive and often illegal
Assisted Suicide – & alternatives
The party states that –
– it will not support any legislation to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide
– government should work with provinces, territories, and medical professionals to develop a national palliative care strategy to provide timely and equitable access to palliative care that affirms life, regards dying as a normal process, and excludes euthanasia and assisted suicide
The party advocates ensuring that all suffering Canadians are offered relief, by investing $15 million to implement the Framework on Palliative Care.
Human Engineering
Gender election
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on gender-elective surgery.
Population, birth control & family planning; embryonic research & cloning
The party recognizes the need for federal regulation in assisted human reproduction and related research. The field should be governed by principles that respect human individuality, integrity, dignity and life.
The party advocates:
– a three-year prohibition of embryonic research
– encouraging focus on adult (post-natal) stem cell research
Human trafficking & slavery
The party advocates:
– legislation to comply with the Palermo Protocol; and requiring consecutive sentences for each victim
– opposing legalization of prostitution
– adopting a proactive approach to reducing human smuggling abroad, through sanctions and legal interruptions smugglers headed for Canada
– promoting democratic and responsible government in areas in which refugees originate
Abortion & alternatives
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on abortion or alternatives to abortion.
Assisted Suicide & alternatives
The party advocates amending the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAD) legislation to ensure that everyone has the choice of dying with dignity, including allowing advance directives and guaranteeing the right to draw up a “living will” that gives individuals the power to limit or refuse medical intervention and treatment.
Human Engineering
Stem cell, genetic, & embryo research
The party has released no official statement of its policies on stem cell, genetic, or embryonic research.
Gender election
The party states that consensual sexual freedom is a fundamental human right and that acceptance and celebration of LGBTQI2+ people and identities are essential for genuine social justice and equity. The party affirm that gender identity is each person’s individual experience of gender, that everyone has the right to define and freely express their gender, and that intersex people have the right to live with complete bodily autonomy.
The party affirms that all young people deserve access to safe and comprehensive sex education based on a thorough understanding of diverse sexualities, diverse genders, intersex biology and informed consent
The party advocates ensuring access to comprehensive sexual health care and gender affirming health care, including hormone treatments and blockers, and gender confirmation surgeries
Population, birth control & family planning
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on population control or family planning.
Human trafficking & slavery
The party advocates increasing funding to bolster investigations and convictions in human trafficking cases.
Abortion, assisted suicide, & alternatives
The party:
– stated that it will oppose any attempt to regulate abortion
– declined to nominate candidates who oppose abortion or euthanasia
– legalized suicide and introduced legislation to make legal suicide available to minors and the mentally incompetent
– promoted legislation to require medical professionals to make referrals and participate in procedures relating to abortion and assisted suicide, regardless of conscience and beliefs
The party states that:
– in 2021, women’s rights should not be up for debate. Yet other parties want to roll back abortion access
– meanwhile, anti-choice organizations are actively working to spread misinformation about abortion, putting the health and safety of young people and vulnerable women at risk
– everyone in Canada should have the information they need to freely make decisions over their own bodies and have access to the medical care and services that are their legal rights
– no one should be able to withhold access to care
The party advocates:
– governing accessibility for sexual and reproductive health services so there is no question, that no matter where someone lives, that they have access to publicly available sexual and reproductive health
services
– in the case of provinces which fail to meet this standard, imposing an automatic penalty applied against federal health transfers
– provide up to $10 million to Health Canada to develop an easily accessible portal that provides accurate, judgement-free, and evidence-based information on sexual and reproductive health and rights, which will include a section that counters misinformation about abortion
– providing up to $10 million over 3 years to youth-led grassroots organizations that respond to the unique sexual and reproductive health needs of young people
– denying charity status to anti-abortion organizations (for example, Crisis Pregnancy Centres) that provide dishonest counseling to women about their rights and about the options available to them at all stages of the pregnancy
Human Engineering
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
– stem cell, genetic, & embryonic research
– gender-elective surgery
– population, birth control or family planning
Human Trafficking
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on human trafficking or slavery.
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
– alternatives to abortion
– assisted suicide or alternatives to assisted suicide
– stem cell, genetic, & embryo research
– population, birth control or family planning
– human trafficking or slavery
Abortion
The party believes in respecting peoples’ rights to make their decisions about their own bodies and their own lives.
The party advocates:
– safe, accessible abortion and reproductive health care services for everyone, no matter where they live or how much money they make, by ensuring that the provinces make medical and surgical abortion available in all parts of the country, without barriers
– ensuring that full range of prescription contraceptive and reproductive health care options are easily available at no cost through Medicare and the party’s proposed national pharmacare program
Gender-Elective Surgery
The party advocates:
– developing a national action plan to ban conversion therapy for minors in Canada
– working with the provinces to ensure that there is equal access to gender confirming surgery across the country, and that such procedures and medications are covered by public health plans
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
– abortion or alternatives to abortion
– assisted suicide or alternatives to assisted suicide
– stem cell, genetic, & embryo research
– gender-elective surgery
– population, birth control or family planning
– human trafficking or slavery
Points to Ponder: Life & Human Dignity
Consider discussing the following questions with your local candidates, elected officials, and the parties, and with your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
– What limits should be placed on voluntary termination of human life, either prior to birth or at any time before death? What can or should be done at the federal level, and what should be left to the provinces, or to private, religious, or other non-profit organizations?
– What options is our society, including the church and other non-profit agencies in addition to government, able to offer to reluctant or unwilling mothers, as alternatives to abortion and to support unwanted children? What can or should be done at the local, or federal, or provincial level, or by private, religious, or other non-profit organizations?
– What options can be offered by provincial or federal governments, or by private agencies, to families of minors who being encouraged to consider medically-assisted suicide? Is it appropriate to allow minors to consider suicide without consulting their parents?
– Are federal restrictions and controls on cloning and the use of human cells, fetuses, and body parts properly crafted? What, if anything, should be done differently? Should there be more discussion of this serious moral issue in our society?
– To what extent should voluntary, elective services that are morally questionable to large numbers of individuals, such as the voluntary termination of life or the voluntary modification of gender, be financed publicly through mandatory taxation? If such services are to be offered, should they be financed by the individuals who elect to access them, or by sympathetic charities, or by dissenting taxpayers?