Church Teaching 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.
Bloc Quebecois Abortion & alternatives
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that its members:
– are egalitarians and feminists.
– believe that a woman’s body belongs to her and her alone, just as everyone’s body belongs to everyone, and that this right must be guaranteed.
– defend the fundamental right to contraception and abortion.
The Bloc has released no direct official statement concerning its policies on:
– Assisted suicide or alternatives, including palliative care
– Human engineering, including either stem cell, genetic, or embryo research or gender election
– Population, birth control or family planning
– Human trafficking or slavery
Christian Heritage Party 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
– abortion should be defunded, not defended
Socially-Assisted Death, & 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.
Conservative Party of Canada Sanctity of Life: the meaning and purpose of life
The party states that it 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
Socially-Assisted Death – & alternatives
The party states that the federal government should have appealed the Quebec Superior Court decision on Medical Assistance in Dying, rather than passing a vague law with no safeguards that devalues human life
The party advocates:
– reinstatement of the ten-day waiting period to make sure somebody does not make this decision at their lowest point
– restoring the requirement for two fully independent witnesses to ensure that a vulnerable person is not being forced or coerced
– requiring that any discussion of Socially-Assisted Death (SAD, also called “MAiD”)
– repeal of Bill C-7 provisions allowing SAD for those with mental health challenges
– requiring that any patient receiving SAD to be informed/reminded immediately before receiving it and given the opportunity to withdraw consent
– protecting the right of patients to choose to receive care in a SAD-free environment
– require healthcare practitioners approving SAD requests (“MAiD” accessors) to examine and consult directly with the patient before approving the request (with allowances made for virtually-enabled examination where required)
– requiring SAD assessors to complete assessor training to ensure full awareness of and compliance with laws and best practices around SAD
– doubling direct federal investment in palliative care, in view of an estimate by the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association that under 30 percent of Canadians who need it have access to palliative care services
The party also advocates:
– protecting the conscience rights of healthcare professionals, in order to avoid driving them out of their professions
– encouraging faith-based and other community organizations to expand their provision of palliative and long-term care
Human Engineering
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
– gender-elective surgery
– population, birth control or family planning; embryonic research or cloning
Green Party of Canada Sanctity of Life: the meaning and purpose of life
To ensure a life of health, safety, and dignity for all Canadians, the party advocates restoring the Canada Health Accord to prioritize:
– access to safe abortion services
– access to gender-affirming health services such as hormones, blockers, and surgery
Human Engineering
Gender Modification
In an online policy publication presented as current as of March 2025, the party states that in order to stop hate, it advocates protecting access to gender-affirming health care.
Assisted Suicide & Alternatives
The party has released no official statement of its policies on socially-assisted suicide or alternatives, including palliative care.
Liberal Party of Canada Sanctity of Life: the meaning and purpose of life
In Mandate Letters issued to government Ministers at the beginning of its current term of office, the party has instructed Government to begin considering a draft “Quality of Life Framework” in setting and implementing policy, as a provisional replacement of Gross Domestic Product as the measure of social wellbeing. The draft framework comprises factors of prosperity, health, good governance, society, and environment.
The party has asked for public input in defining the framework, including definitions of prosperity, etc.
Abortion, Assisted Suicide, and Alternatives
The party states that:
– the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States served as a reminder that it must continue to do everything it can to protect Canadians’ access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care services, including abortion care
– with a woman’s right to choose under threat around the world, in its current term in office it has focused on ensuring that abortion services are accessible across Canada
– in particular, it is committed to ensuring that no Canadian pays out of pocket to receive an abortion
– abortion is health care, and during its term in office it will continue to withhold Canada Health Transfer payments to provinces and territories that allow any patient charges for abortion services
– sexual and reproductive rights, including the right to access safe and legal abortions, are at the core of its foreign policy
Among its key accomplishments in health care and global leadership, the party identifies:
– launching a Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund to help make sexual and reproductive health information and services—including access to abortion—more accessible for vulnerable populations
– investing $1.4 billion each year on global health, of which $700 million is to be dedicated to sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls
The party proposes:
– to continue to reduce existing barriers to care and ensuring that Canadians have access to accurate, culturally safe information about sexual and reproductive health care
– budget 2023 proposes to provide $36 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to Health Canada to renew the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund. This fund supports community-based organizations that help make access to abortion, as well as other sexual and reproductive health care information and services, more accessible for vulnerable populations
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
New Democrat Party of Canada Sanctity of Life: the meaning and purpose of life
The party states that every Canadian, of every age, deserves to live in dignity and be treated with respect by their government and the health care system
Abortion – & Alternatives
The party states that:
– it believes in respecting peoples’ rights to make decisions about their own bodies and their own lives. Yet many individuals seeking abortion services in Canada can’t access them
– only 1 hospital in 6 offers abortion, and some provinces refuse to cover the cost of surgical abortion outside hospitals. Lack of access is even worse for people in rural areas and the North. Everyone deserves safe, accessible abortion and reproductive healthcare services – no matter where they live or how much money they make. It’s not enough for elected officials to say that they won’t reopen the abortion debate – we need leaders to take action to improve access to services. It will enforce the Canada Health Act to make sure that the provinces make medical and surgical abortion available in all parts of the country, without barriers. We will ensure that a full range of prescription contraceptive and reproductive health care options are easily accessible at no cost through Medicare and our national pharmacare program, and work with the provinces, territories, and period poverty
Socially Assisted Death (SAD) – & Alternatives
The party advocates working with the provinces and territories to expand and improve access to palliative care across the country
Gender-Elective Surgery
The party advocates 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
People’s Party of Canada
Sanctity of Life: the meaning and purpose of life
Abortion
In a policy publication presented as current in March 2025, the party states that:
– Canada is one of the few countries in the world with no legal restrictions on abortion. As a result, abortions can legally be performed at any stage of pregnancy.
– it is even perfectly legal to kill a fully developed unborn baby during the third trimester of a pregnancy, a baby who would be viable if born prematurely.
– one cannot argue that it’s “my body, my choice” in such cases. There is another body, another sentient human being involved, almost fully developed. It amounts to infanticide.
– polls done over the years consistently show that a majority of Canadians believe that there should be a law prohibiting abortion at least during the third trimester unless the life of the mother is in danger.
– the Montreal newspaper La Presse reported in 2019 that more than 20 Quebec women were sent every year to the few clinics in the US offering late-term abortions “without restrictions.” The Quebec government covered all the costs. Quebec health authorities at the time said that they wanted to “repatriate these services” and provide them in the province.
– Canada’s lack of legal framework is out of step with the laws of other civilized countries, where abortion is restricted after the first trimester and late-term abortions are prohibited except in exceptional circumstances – including all the “progressive” countries of Europe – have laws determining when a fetus should be protected as a person, and when and in what circumstances abortion should therefore be restricted. Abortion is normally available for the first three months of pregnancy only, with restrictions starting in the second trimester, and late-term abortions only allowed in exceptional circumstances such as severe fetal abnormalities, or threats to the mother’s life.
– it welcomes debate on abortion, and believes it is time for Canada to join the civilized world by enacting reasonable restrictions on abortion that balance the rights of the mother with the protection of unborn life.
The party advocates:
– breaking the taboo surrounding abortion and encouraging an open, respectful, and fact-based discussion on this issue.
– challenging other political parties to explain why they believe killing a healthy and viable unborn child is morally acceptable and should remain legal.
– introduction of an Act for the Protection of Preborn Children to bring Canada in line with the laws of other civilized countries, where abortion is gradually restricted after the first trimester and late-term abortions are prohibited except in exceptional circumstances.
– allowing its MPs to be free to vote on the issue of abortion according to their conscience.
Gender Ideology
In a policy publication presented as current in March 2025, the party states:
– with the active support of all establishment parties, radical woke activists have been trying for years to impose gender ideology and transform society in a way that curtails everyone’s freedoms. This ideology, which contradicts basic biological realities, is proving particularly harmful to women and children.
– gender ideology teaches children that their gender is determined by stereotypes, and that if they do not fit into the traditional male or female gender roles, they are encouraged to think they may have been born in the wrong body.
– children are never born in the wrong body. Children should be taught to accept themselves, not seek solutions through pharmaceuticals and medical procedures.
– bill C-16, adopted in 2016, recognized gender self-identification and opened the door to compelled speech. Since then, businesses and government agencies have banned the use of words like “woman” and “mother” in favour of “menstruating people” and “birthing people.”
– women’s rights and security are being trampled to accommodate men pretending to be the other sex. Women are encountering men in changing rooms and bathrooms. Violent male criminals who identify as women are being incarcerated in women’s prisons. Women have to unfairly compete with men in sports.
– cultural fads like Drag Queen Story Hours are promoting this ideology among children and making it appear normal to identify as the other sex or as different invented genders.
– Bill C-4, which was unanimously adopted by all parties in the House of Commons in 2021, criminalizes parents and therapists who try to help minors with gender dysphoria accept who they are. In effect, the law bans “conversion therapy” in one direction, but allows it in the other. It is illegal to treat children for a mental disorder, but it is legal to encourage them to undergo “gender affirming therapy” and mutilate their body.
– most boys and girls suffering from gender dysphoria simply grow out of it. Many suffer from other mental issues such as autism, or are under the temporary influence of a phenomenon of social contagion. Taking puberty blockers at a young age will transform their body and sterilize them for life, when they are too young to evaluate the impact of such a momentous decision.
– sex change surgery involves reconstructing genital organs by using skin and muscles from other parts of the body. These invasive surgeries cause many complications and require lifelong treatments. More and more trans people who underwent such surgeries regret it later in life and want to “detransition,” but it’s tragically too late.
– the transfer to women’s prisons of male inmates who self-identify as women has been standard practice in Canada since it was introduced by the current government in 2018. It has resulted in criminals with histories of sexual abuse against women being housed alongside female inmates, with several cases of violent behaviour being reported in the media.
– Canadians who believe there are only two immutable sexes must not be compelled to adapt their language and behaviour to accommodate gender ideology. In particular, women and children must be protected from its harmful consequences. The normalization of transgender ideology, particularly amongst our youth, will have a catastrophic impact on a whole generation if we do not reverse course soon.
The party advocates:
– modifying the Criminal Code to outlaw the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and any form of bodily mutilation on minors with the goal of “transitioning” to another sex, and holding any person encouraging minors to “transition” criminally responsible for attempting to cause harm.
– removing the ban on helping minors who suffer from gender dysphoria accept their body that was imposed by Bill C-4, the so-called “conversion therapy bill.”
– ending funding for groups that promote gender ideology.
– strictly enforcement of section 163.1(1)(b) of the Criminal Code in order to remove inappropriate pornographic content from schools and libraries.
– protecting women’s spaces – prisons, shelters, bathrooms, and changing rooms – from intrusion by biological men.
– forbidding biological men to participate in women’s sports regulated and funded by the federal government.
– abolishing federal programs to fund sex change operations for civil servants and prisoners.
– repealing Bill C-16, the bill that added gender self-identification as ground for protection against discrimination.
The party has published no statement concerning its policies on:
– assisted suicide or alternatives to assisted suicide.
– stem cell, genetic, & embryo research.
– population, birth control or family planning.
– human trafficking or slavery.
Podcast (New) 
Points to Ponder Points to Ponder: Life & Human Dignity
A conscience well formed by the social teachings of the Church will seriously consider the following questions:
The Dignity and Meaning of Life, and Government Policy-Making Indexes
It is a sad fact that many of our parties, along with many of our voters, have stopped talking about or even acknowledging the evils of abortion, Socially-Assisted Death (SAD), and other sins against the sanctity of the body and the dignity of life. Is this because we as a society have been distracted by the comforts and worries of modern life, and lost touch with the purpose of life? Are we simply hiding, like the timid steward of Matthew 25:18?
Can we the Church be charged with some degree of responsibility? How do we approach such conversations? Do we start with stern, finger-wagging lectures, or do we start with offers to help celebrate new life through support for reluctant, abandoned, or unwanted mothers, with ready knowledge of alternatives, including single-parent support options or even adoption? Are we ready to accept and support children who are not wanted or cannot be supported responsibly? What other options can or should we offer, as individuals and as a Church?
And what of our governments? For years, many (probably most) of our political parties have been fond of asserting, in dozens of ways, that various groups of Canadians “deserve” or are “entitled to” a very wide variety of benefits in order to enable them (us) to live lives of dignity. They seem more reluctant, however, to explain what they mean by a “dignified” life, or to offer any way of measuring the effect of the benefits they propose for improving it. Indeed, the only indexes used by most governments to gauge wellness of any kind are gross domestic production levels (GDP) – the aggregate worth of the material objects our society produces. This has caused many observers to remark that Canada and other parts of the world appear to have lost any common conception of the proper meaning of the dignity or purpose of life, replacing that common conception its accompanying sense of community, shared culture, and a sense of the common good with an obsessive consumerism and pursuit of comfort and material wealth. All sense of civil community and our obligation to serve that common good suffers as well. The result has been a postmodern individualism that leaves human beings feeling isolated and on their own.
In his encyclical Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis observed that: Today, in many countries, hyperbole, extremism and polarization have become political tools. Employing a strategy of ridicule, suspicion and relentless criticism, in a variety of ways one denies the right of others to exist or to have an opinion. Their share of the truth and their values are rejected and, as a result, the life of society is impoverished and subjected to the hubris of the powerful. Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and to advance the common good, but only with slick marketing techniques primarily aimed at discrediting others. In this craven exchange of charges and counter-charges, debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation.
Recently some parties have begun to propose various “wellness” indicators as an alternative to reliance on GDP in gauging social wellbeing. Such indicators are based on factors said to represent the health, happiness, and well-being of society and its individual members. And in 2019 the current Canadian Federal government quietly introduced a new “Quality of Life” measure in its instructions to new cabinet ministers, and caused the creation of a “Quality of Life Hub”. The Hub introduces the index, a draft method for measuring it, and solicits public feedback. (See https://www160.statcan.gc.ca/index-eng.htm)
1) Bearing in mind that it is citizen voters who are ultimately responsible for the behaviour of democratic governments, how should Catholics respond to the government’s call for comment, with properly and prayerfully-formed consciences? Should they involve their provincial and municipal governments in the discussion? If so, how?
How do the following questions, and their answers, factor into the government’s proposed framework? How do they relate to life and politics in the Province of Ontario?
2) 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?
3) What options is our society able to offer to reluctant or unwilling mothers, as alternatives to abortion and to support unwanted children? Should adoption, natural measures for approaching fertility be considered?
4) Is it appropriate to allow minors to consider suicide as a health care option without consulting their parents?
5) What options can be offered by provincial or federal governments to families of minors who are being encouraged to consider medically-assisted suicide?
6) Is it appropriate to require unwilling healthcare personnel to participate in SAD, abortion, or other actions that are contrary to Catholic belief, or to their individual well-formed consciences? Should such persons be legally
protected from performing tasks that go against their conscience? If so, how and to what extent?
7) 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?
8) All national political parties have called for continued commitment to the fight against the evil of human trafficking. What more, if anything, could be done to fight this evil, at the personal, local, civic, municipal, and provincial levels to protect vulnerable people? Are you able to recognize the signs of trafficking? If activity that you felt included human trafficking came to your attention, what could or should you do about it?
9) Are federal restrictions and controls on cloning and the use of human cells, fetuses, and body parts properly and adequately crafted? What, if anything, should be done differently? Should there be more discussion of this serious moral issue in our society?
