Polish Bishops: No one has the right to decide on another person’s life in the name of personal freedom

“The life of a new and unique human person begins at conception, that is, the fusion of the cells of the mother and the father. From that moment on, every human being should have the full right to the protection of life” – reads the Letter of the Polish Bishops’ Conference on the Protection of Life, the text of which was approved during the 398th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference in Warsaw. In it, the bishops recall, among other things, the words of St John Paul II from the encyclical Evangelium vitae (101): “There can be no true democracy without a recognition of every person’s dignity and without respect for his or her rights”. And also the words of Pope Francis, who said to the Poles on 20 March this year: “Let Poland be a land that protects life at every moment of it”.

They stress that everyone’s right to life is protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Polish Constitution and statutory provisions. “It is an elementary principle inscribed in human nature which must not be violated” – the Letter reads. The bishops point out that we are currently witnessing “a growing pressure to change the legal protection of human life towards legalizing the killing of the child in the womb”. “This is very worrying and extremely dangerous for public safety. Every person of good will should oppose it” – Polish bishops write. They stress that life, “as the supreme value of every human being and a fundamental element of the common good, is a fundamental good, overriding the individual freedom of others”. “No one, therefore, in the name of personal freedom, has the right to decide on the life of another human being” – they add.

“As shepherds of the Catholic Church in Poland, and at the same time citizens of our country, we have the right and duty to remind – both the faithful of the Catholic Church and all people of good will – that we are obliged to respect human beings, especially the weakest and defenceless” – the bishops write. They stress that a special responsibility for life lies with those “entrusted by social mandate to care for the common good”.

The bishops point out that of great importance for the protection of unborn life is a loving family, built on the lasting marriage of the parents, and that “the murder of an unborn child causes serious psycho-physical and spiritual suffering, often leading to the breakdown of the family”. They pay tribute to mothers who protect their children even in the most difficult situations. They also address fathers, whose role is to protect the family. “You must not distance yourselves from your commitment to the legal protection of human life” – they appeal.

They stress that in situations where a mother finds herself in difficulty and in need of specialised help, the Church, NGOs, and local institutions bring this help by running, for example, Single Mother’s Homes or Life Windows, as well as providing various types of support. “This help can never be lacking from the state either. We are all obliged to it” – they write. They also oppose actions that violate the right to preserve the conscience clause.

At the end of the letter, Polish bishops thank everyone who serves life and ask everyone to “steadfastly and sacrificially defend the Gospel of life” and pray for the protection of life.

The letter is intended to be read in Polish churches on Sunday, 16 June.

Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference