Kentucky bishops urge Catholic voters to look closely at life issues

Published: 2008-02-13

FRANKFORT, Ky. (CNS) -- The bishops who head Kentucky's four Catholic dioceses urged the state's Catholics to take a close look at life issues when voting this year. "All human laws must be measured against the natural law engraved in our hearts by the Creator," said the bishops in a pastoral letter, "Reverence for Life: Conscience and Faithful Citizenship." "Our religious beliefs affirm basic human rights and obligations that are essential to the fabric of our social life. In particular, respect for human life is numbered among those basic values that underpin the very foundation of civilization," they said. "What we profess in defense of the sacredness of unborn human life harmonizes with our historic legal tradition founded on the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," they said. "Abortion on demand does not." "Reverence for Life" was issued Jan. 22, the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton that legalized abortion virtually on demand.

Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .