What Does "Pro-Life" Mean?

Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of the organization Priests for Life, and endorser of the CL Mission Statement, was interviewed in the Jan. 17 issue of The Tidings, the newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Pavone said the term "pro-life" was coined back in 1973 to define what people opposed to abortion stood for. But over the past 30 years, it has evolved to mean more than just anti-abortion, he said.

"These three decades have shown us how comprehensive the term 'pro-life' can be," Pavone said. "Roe v. Wade is not just a bad decision; it is a poison which seeps into the soil of our culture and gives rise to many dangerous weeds. ...All life issues are interrelated. The linkages among issues - like abortion, contraception, euthanasia, war, capital punishment, poverty, health care, etc. - give rise to the consistent ethic of life."