August 5, 2016 | En Español

On the eve of World Youth Day 2016 in Poland, Pope Francis gave a beautiful address urging leaders to support the family, the "primary and fundamental cell of society." Specifically, he urged them to welcome and protect human life in all its stages: "Life must always be welcomed and protected. These two things go together-welcome and protection, from conception to natural death."

The Holy Father said that responsibility for vulnerable families is shared in a particular way by the institutions of the State, the Church, and society:

In "Living the Gospel of Life," the U.S. bishops issued a similar "welcome and protect" challenge to ordinary citizens and high-powered leaders alike. Written in 1998, its insights remain fresh and relevant today.

July 22, 2016 | En Español

By Mary McClusky 

Police recently found twenty-three-year-old Candace Pickens of Asheville, North Carolina, dead in a park. Nathaniel Dixon, the father of their unborn child, is charged with her murder. Family members say Candace's refusal to have an abortion sparked the violence.



This heartbreaking story is just one example of the connection between domestic abuse and abortion. Studies show that pregnancy often escalates violence between intimate partners, which can lead to miscarriage, or even the death of both mother and child. Many women are coerced or forced into an abortion by their abusers.



For a woman who has suffered violence, abortion adds further layers of trauma-not least the death of her child-from which to heal. Fathers are affected, too. One of the symptoms of post-abortion trauma can be anger or even rage. Those facilitating post-abortion healing ministry with men in prison say there is often a strong connection between involvement in a previous abortion and their other violent offenses.



Recently, the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization founded by abortion provider Planned Parenthood, released an analysis saying that victims of intimate partner violence need the full range of "reproductive health services," their term for contraception and abortion. What the Guttmacher Institute won't say is what so many post-abortive women share: that abortion is often not even the woman's choice, and coerced abortions happen more often than is commonly known.



The bishops recognized this victimization of women, citing forced abortion as one example of domestic violence in their statement "When I Call For Help." Originally released in 1992 after a series of focus groups with women, the statement was reaffirmed in 2002.

Project Rachel Hope After Abortion website or call the Respect Life Office's confidential hotline: 1-888-456-HOPE (se habla espanol) to begin healing after abortion loss.