By Susan Ciancio
Throughout October, we celebrate Respect Life Month—a month dedicated to reflecting upon God’s gift of life to all of us. It’s a time to think about and advocate for the vulnerable and a time to teach kids about the sanctity of life—from the first moment of creation until death. All month long, we think about and pray for the preborn who are killed in abortions; we pray for the sick, the elderly, and those with disabilities; and we pray that our culture will turn away from the evil so often embraced and will learn to respect all life—no matter the stage and regardless of ability.
That’s why we host our Pro-Life Essay Contest for middle and high schoolers in October. This is a beautiful opportunity for kids to not just voice their beliefs but to learn why the Catholic Church teaches that we must respect life from creation until death.
This year’s contest runs now through November 7. Students in middle school will reflect upon and answer a prompt related to this quote from St. John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae: “Respect for life requires that science and technology should always be at the service of man and his integral development. Society as a whole must respect, defend, and promote the dignity of every human person, at every moment and in every condition of that person’s life.”
Students in high school will reflect upon and answer a prompt related to this quote from Dr. Jérôme Lejeune: “Medicine becomes mad science when it attacks the patient instead of fighting the disease. We must always be on the patient’s side, always.”
These prompts encourage kids to think about the sanctity of life so that they come to understand the true meaning of the word pro-life. Why? Because, in today’s culture, the term pro-life often gets a bad reputation. Many think it means to only advocate against abortion. Further, many think that pro-life people do nothing to help the mom once she has chosen life for her baby.
These things couldn’t be further from the truth. And there’s no better time than Respect Life Month to express that truth.
When we say we are pro-life, we mean that we advocate for the protection of every single person from creation until death. No exceptions. No compromise. The child conceived in rape doesn’t have less value because of the circumstances of his creation. The preborn baby with Down syndrome doesn’t have less value than a child who doesn’t have it. The active and energetic 80-year-old doesn’t have more value than the one bedridden with Parkinson’s. Every life has value because every person was created in God’s image.
These are the lessons we hope your children will come to understand, and participating in our essay contest is a wonderful way for them to explore these values and put them into practice. Here are six great reasons to encourage them to enter:
- It helps your child develop the courage to stand up for his beliefs.
When kids write down their thoughts, they become better able to articulate them. The more they do this, the stronger their convictions and the more skilled they will become at teaching others why they believe what they believe.
- It gives your child a voice in an important conversation.
One of the reasons we want to hear from kids is so we can meet them where they are and fill in any knowledge gaps that exist. We know that schools—even Catholic schools—sometimes fail to teach pro-life values. That’s why CLSP exists—to fill in those gaps and create new materials geared specifically toward the issues that kids have the most difficulty with.
- It nurtures compassion for vulnerable people.
When kids see the value in all people, they begin to have compassion for them. They learn to think about others and about what it would be like to walk in their shoes for a day.
- It teaches children to research their beliefs.
Kids often parrot information they hear online, even if it’s wrong. When they take the time to do research and to learn truths, not only will they grow in knowledge but they can help dispel the myths that they and their friends often hear.
- It deepens their understanding of the value of every human being.
By contemplating what others are going through, kids can see beyond their small world and look at the people around them—the suffering, the sick, the preborn—and realize that everyone has dignity.
- It strengthens writing skills.
No explanation needed! All kids need to hone their writing skills.
Writing an essay discussing their beliefs will help kids grow in love for their fellow human beings. And that’s the goal of Respect Life Month—to teach respect for all people and to help us see the value in everyone.
Our contest is open now through November 7! Encourage your kids to enter!