Upcoming workshop gives an opportunity to learn more about all the meanings involved in being pro-life

Intermountain Catholic

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Jean Hill, Diocese of Salt Lake City government liaison, will be among the speakers at the Respect for the Dignity of Life workshop.

SALT LAKE CITY — "Only with prayer – prayer that storms the heavens for justice and mercy, prayer that cleanses our hearts and our souls – will the culture of death that surrounds us today be replaced with a culture of life." — US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities.

A workshop titled "Respect for the Dignity of Life," organized by the Diocese of Salt Lake City Office of Family Life Office together with the Respect for Life Committee, will reflect the importance of ‘Life’ in all the senses of the word: life before conception, life after conception and the end of life with natural death.

Three main speakers are going to present different topics but with one main focus, ‘The Dignity of Life,’ in the perspective of political candidates, the church teachings, and the importance of taking care of ourselves through fighting drugs.

Jean Hill, the diocese’s government liaison, is among those speakers. Her presentation will be about why Catholics need to consider the pro-life position of the political candidates.

"We want to make sure in this big election year that our Catholics know that pro-life is about much more than just conception; it is the whole spectrum of life," said Hill, adding that it’s important that people analyze the points of view of each candidate.

"Basically, while we can’t put our pro-life beliefs into a political sound bite, we as Catholics need to think more deeply about candidates," said Hill.

Sometimes people lose sight of the fact that being pro-life means more than just opposing abortion, Hill said.

Hill emphasized that sometimes people don’t remember that being pro-life also involves the dignity of life. "We don’t believe that you have the right to be born and then you live on the streets; we believe that we have the right to be born and to live with dignity and to die with dignity," she said.

The Catholic value of respect for life also takes into consideration who will support the woman who is pregnant, how she will obtain health care for herself and her child, how the child will be educated and how they will receive material things so they can live in dignity, she said.

"It’s extremely important to get this message out," said Hill.

Another speaker at the workshop will be Monsignor Robert Servatius, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, who will address the Church’s pro-life teachings.

Quoting Pope John Paul II that the world is seeing a movement from a culture of life to a culture of death, Msgr. Servatius said, "We see that in so many areas today: The fact of abortion being legalized, euthanasia [and] capital punishment that seems nothing more than a vengeance."

He emphasized that Church theology has always defended the dignity of life, but the erosion of social approach to the dignity of life nowadays has pushed people to have misconception about what the right to life is.

Representatives of the anti-porn group Fight the New Drug also will speak at the conference.

The workshop will take place on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church. Cost is $10 per person, including breakfast and lunch. For information, call 801-328-8641 ext. 324.