The Respect Life Outreach is part of the Archdiocesan Office for Marriage, Family and Life whose mission is to assist and encourage all Christians to fulfill their call to holiness.

The Respect Life Outreach works to promote respect for human life from conception to natural death, to bring about a conversion of heart and mind to be open to God's special gift of life. A consistent ethic of life reflects the Church's firm conviction of the dignity of each and every person. Created in the image and likeness of God, every person is unique and special. Each of us has a responsibility to God, to self and to others to nurture, protect and sustain life at all stages.

Varied Respect Life Groups may focus their energy on one particular aspect of life; however, all do so in the context of the Church's mission to uphold the dignity of life at all stages of life. Respect Life Activities follow the United States Bishop’s Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities – A Campaign in Support of Life.

Each parish is encouraged to appoint a liaison to the Respect Life outreach to help to carry out this important mission. Our Resources section contains materials on specific Respect for Life topics that A Community Caring for Life and Respect Life Committees can use in their work.
 
The U.S. Bishops' 2001 Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities calls upon the Church – its people, services, and institutions – to pursue the cause of human life & dignity in four major areas. The Respect Life Outreach recommends that parishes/schools and individuals try to be involved in each of these four areas of the Pastoral Plan.

• Education – To deepen understanding of the sanctity of human life and the humanity of unborn children, the moral evil of intentionally killing innocent human beings — whether at the beginning of life or at its end — and the mission of the Church to witness to and serve all human life.

• Outreach – For women with problems related to pregnancy; for all who have been involved in abortion; for those who are disabled, sick, and dying, and their families and caregivers; for those who have lost loved ones to violent crime; and for those in prison sentenced to death.

• Public Policy – Efforts directed to restoring legal protection to the lives of unborn children, those suffering from injustices due to societal systems, those living in poverty, and those vulnerable to pressures to end their lives by assisted suicide, and to providing morally acceptable alternatives to abortion and assisted suicide.

• Prayer and Worship – Directed toward participation in the sacramental life of the Church, in programs of communal and individual prayer, and to pray for the culture of life.

The cornerstone of the bishops' pro-life educational outreach on a variety of life issues, the Respect Life Program launches on Respect Life Sunday, the first Sunday each October. The USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities publishes a packet of resources including articles on current issues, program suggestions, prayer resources and clip art. Find ore information on the program and access the materials at the USCCB Respect Life Program website.

For specific questions on Biomedical Ethics - please see the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Commission on Biomedical Ethics.

If you would like to receive periodic e-mail updates from the Respect Life Outreach – please e-mail Sharon Wilson and type “Add me to your e-mail updates”.