p. 14-15.
"We support policies and laws that encourage childbirth over abortion, and urge government and the private sector to provide programs that assist pregnant women and their children, especially those who are poor. We support efforts to prohibit domestic and foreign abortion funding, as well as efforts to protect states from having to fund abortions contrary to their own laws. We reject the 1973 Supreme Court decisions which deny legal protection to unborn children, and we support efforts to prohibit or restrict abortion legislatively and to provide constitutional protection for unborn human life. Laws and policies on medical research, health care, and related issues must respect and protect human life from the moment of conception."

2270
"Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person--among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life."

2271
"Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law."

2274
"Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being."

p. 15.
"While some progress has been made in recent years, additional steps are needed if nuclear policies and priorities are to keep up with the dramatic changes in world politics. An active commitment by the United States to progressive nuclear disarmament and the strengthening of collective security is the only moral basis for our deterrent and our insistence that other nations forego these weapons. Ratification and implementation of the arms treaty are essential, but much deeper cuts in nuclear arms are both possible and necessary. We support the current moratorium on nuclear testing as our nation pursues an effective global test ban."

"The end of the Cold War still provides an opportunity to substantially reduce military spending. Diverting scarce resources from military to human development is not only a just and compassionate policy, but also a wise long-term investment in global and national security. Concern for jobs cannot justify military spending beyond the minimum necessary for legitimate national and international peacekeeping obligations.

"Neither can jobs at home justify exporting the means of war abroad. The United States has a special responsibility to undertake more serious efforts to control and significantly reduce its disproportional role in the scandalous global trade in arms. The unemployment and economic disruption caused by defense cuts must be addressed concretely through economic development and adjustment programs, a stronger non- military economy, and other programs to assist those affected. The United States should take a leadership role in reducing reliance on, ending export of, and ultimately banning anti-personnel landmines, which kill some 26,000 civilians each year."

2308
"All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war."

2315
"The accumulation of arms strikes many as a paradoxically suitable way of deterring potential adversaries from war. They see it as the most effective means of ensuring peace among nations. This method of deterrence gives rise to strong moral reservations. The arms race does not ensure peace. Far from eliminating the causes of war, it risks aggravating them. Spending enormous sums to produce ever new types of weapons impedes efforts to aid needy populations; it thwarts the development of peoples. Over-armament multiplies reasons for conflict and increases the danger of escalation."

2316
"The production and sale of arms affect the common good of nations and of the international community. Hence public authorities have the right and duty to regulate them. The short-term pursuit of private or collective interests cannot legitimate undertakings that promote violence and conflict among nations and compromise the international juridical order."

p. 16.
"The Church's commitment to the value and dignity of human life leads us to oppose the use of the death penalty. We believe that a return to the use of the death penalty is further eroding respect for life in our society. We do not question society's right to protect itself, but we believe that there are better approaches to protecting our people from violent crimes. The application of the death penalty has been discriminatory toward the poor, the indigent, and racial minorities. Our society should reject the death penalty and seek methods of dealing with violent crime that are more consistent with the gospel visions of respect for life and Christ's message of healing love. This principle is set forth in the new Catechism of the Catholic Church

2266
"Preserving the common good of society requires rendering the aggressor unable to inflict harm. For this reason the traditional teaching of the Church has acknowledged as well-founded the right and duty of legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in cases of extreme gravity, the death penalty. For analogous reasons those holding authority have the right to repel by armed force aggressors against the community in their charge."

2267
"If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person."

p. 16
"Since the deregulation of the [telecommunications] industry that began in the early 1980's, the amount of time and resources the industry has devoted to issues of community importance has declined.

"Three principles must be maintained: (1) the communications industry considering its widespread influence, needs to operate in the public interest as well as its own ownership interests; (2) citizens must be able to participate effectively in defining and enforcing services in the public interest; and (3) fairness and diversity must be assured in ownership, employment, and public access of these services.

"We support requirements for the telecommunications industry to air more educational and informational children's television programming.

"We also support reasonable and constitutionally acceptable regulations that prohibit the distribution of obscene material and restrict the distribution of indecent material over the electronic media, so that this material is not accessible to minors. We oppose advertising and public service announcements that have the effect of impinging on the right of parents to teach their children about responsible sexuality."

2494
"The information provided by the media is at the service of the common good. Society has a right to information based on truth, freedom, justice, and solidarity. . ."

2496
"The means of social communication (especially the mass media) can give rise to a certain passivity among users, making them less than vigilant consumers of what is said or shown. Users should practice moderation and discipline in their approach to the mass media. They will want to form enlightened and correct consciences the more easily to resist unwholesome influences."

2498
"‘Civil authorities have particular responsibilities in this field because of the common good. . . . It is for the civil authority . . . to defend and safeguard a true and just freedom of information.' By promulgating laws and overseeing their application, public authorities should ensure that ‘public morality and social progress are not gravely endangered' through misuse of the media. . . ."

p. 17.
"Discrimination based on sex, race, ethnicity, or age continues to exist in our nation. Signs of increased racial hostility poison our society. Such discrimination constitutes a grave injustice and an affront to human dignity. It must be aggressively resisted by every individual and rooted out of every social institution and structure. . . . Where the effects of past discrimination persist, society has the obligation to take positive steps to overcome the legacy of injustice. We support judiciously administered affirmative action programs as tools to overcome discrimination and its continuing effects.

"Racism is a particularly serious form of discrimination. . . . Racism is not merely one sin among many. It is a radical evil dividing the human family."

369
"Man and woman have been created, which is to say, willed by God: on the one hand, in perfect equality as human persons; on the other, in their respective beings as man and woman. ‘Being-man' or ‘being-woman' is a reality which is good and willed by God: man and woman possess an inalienable dignity which comes to them immediately from God.

1934
"Created in the image and likeness of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity."

1935
"The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: ‘Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.'"

1938
"There also exist sinful inequalities that affect millions of men and women. These are in open contradiction of the Gospel: ‘Their equal dignity as persons demands that we strive for fairer and more humane conditions. Excessive economic and social disparity between individuals and peoples of the one human race is a source of scandal and militates against social justice, equity, human dignity, as well as social and international peace.'"

pp. 18-19.
"Our pastoral letter Economic Justice for All insists that every economic decision and institution should be judged in light of whether it protects or undermines the dignity of the human person. . . .

"The most urgent priority for domestic economic policy is to create jobs with adequate pay and decent working conditions. High levels of unemployment and underemployment are morally unacceptable in a nation with our economic capacity. The minimum wage should be raised to help workers and their families live decent lives. We reaffirm the Church's traditional teaching in support of the right of all workers to organize and bargain collectively . . . without reprisal.

"Wage discrimination against women and other economic consequences of sexism must be overcome. Vigorous efforts are needed to overcome barriers to equal employment and pay for women and minorities. . .

"In the areas of tax policies, we support effective incentives for charitable giving, an earned income tax credit that ensures that working families will not have to raise their children in poverty, and a tax code that reflects traditional Catholic teaching that tax rates should reflect a person's ability to pay.

"It is essential that all aspects of international economic policy--trade, aid, finance, and investment--reflect basic moral principles and promote the global common good. . . . We have a humanitarian obligation to support victims of war and natural disaster. We also support long-term development initiatives for poor countries undergoing transition from civil war or authoritarian regimes. We continue to emphasize human development over military assistance in the priorities of U.S. foreign aid programs. We must reform foreign assistance, not abandon it."

2426
"The development of economic activity and growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings. Economic life is not meant solely to multiply goods produced and increase profit or power; it is ordered first of all to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the entire human community. Economic activity, conducted according to its own proper methods, is to be exercised within the limits of the moral order, in keeping with social justice so as to correspond to God's plan for man."

2428
"Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life and that of his family, and of serving the human community.

2432
"Those responsible for business enterprises are responsible to society for the economic and ecological effects of their operations. They have an obligation to consider the good of persons and not only the increase of profits. Profits are necessary, however. They make possible the investments that ensure the future of a business and they guarantee employment."

2433
"Access to employment and to professions must be open to all without unjust discrimination: men and women, healthy and disabled, natives and immigrants."

2434
"A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice. In determining fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. ‘Remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural, and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good.'"

2439
"Rich nations have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by themselves or have been prevented from doing so by tragic historical events. It is a duty in solidarity and charity. . ."

p. 19.
"All persons of whatever race, sex, condition, or age, by virtue of their dignity as human beings, have an inalienable right to a quality education."

"We advocate . . . adequate public and private funding to make a quality education available for all citizens and residents of the United States. . .; the development and implementation of a form of moral education integrated into the total public school curriculum that responds to student needs and is respectful of the variety of beliefs found in our nation; government and voluntary action to reduce inequalities of educational opportunity. . .; orderly compliance with legal requirements for racially integrated schools and additional voluntary efforts to increase racial and ethnic integration in public, private, and religious schools; equitable tax support for education of pupils in public, private, and religious schools to implement the natural right of parental freedom of choice in the education of their children; salaries and benefits of teachers and administrators that reflect the principles of economic justice; the principle that private and religious school students and professional staff have the right and opportunity for equitable participation in all government programs to improve education. . ."

1908
". . . the common good requires the social well-being and development of the group itself. Development is the epitome of all social duties. Certainly, it is the proper function of authority to arbitrate, in the name of the common good, between various particular interests; but it should make accessible to each what is needed to lead a truly human life: food, clothing, health, work, education and culture, suitable information, the right to establish and family, and so on."

2229
"As those first responsible for the education of their children, parents have the right to choose a school for them which corresponds to their own convictions. This right is fundamental. As far as possible parents have the duty of choosing schools that will best help them in their task as Christian educators. Public authorities have the duty of guaranteeing this parental right and of ensuring the concrete conditions for its exercise."

2288
"Concern for the health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living-conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing, housing, health care, basic education, employment, and social assistance."

p. 20.
"Pope John Paul II has called the environmental crisis fundamentally a "moral" challenge. The whole human race suffers as a result of environmental blight, and generations yet unborn will bear the cost for our failure to act today. What is needed is the will to make changes in policy and lifestyles, to arrest, reverse, and prevent environmental decay, and to pursue the goal of sustainable, equitable development for all."

339
"Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection. . . Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment."

373
"In God's plan man and woman have the vocation of ‘subduing' the earth as stewards of God. This sovereignty is not to be an arbitrary and destructive domination. God calls man and woman, made in the image of the Creator ‘who loves everything that exists', to share in his providence toward other creatures; hence their responsibility for the world God has entrusted to them."

2415
"Man's dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation."

p. 20
"We affirm public policies that respect the life and dignity of those who are dying: legal safeguards against direct killing by action or omission, policies that enable mentally or physically disabled patients to receive the same basic care accorded others, and funding policies to ease burdens on families whose members are in need of long-term care. We reject any law or social policy that sanctions suicide or assisted suicide or any deliberate and direct hastening of death for seriously ill patients."

276
"Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible."

2277
"Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.

"Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded."

2279
"Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable. Palliative care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged."

p. 20
"If a society seeks to help children, it has to support families, since children's lives are nurtured or neglected, enhanced or diminished by the quality of family life."

"We continue to advocate policies and priority which meet these basic criteria:

1. Put children and families first.
   
2. Help; don't hurt. Encourage self-help rather than promote dependency.
   
3. Those with greatest need require the greatest response.
   
4. Empower families.
   
5. Fight economic and social forces that threaten children and family life.
   
6. Build on strengths of families. Reward responsibility and sacrifice for children.
   
7. Recognize that foreign policy is increasingly children's policy."

2207
"The family is the original cell of social life."

2209
"The family must be helped and defended by appropriate social measures. Where families cannot fulfill their responsibilities, other social bodies have the duty of helping them and of supporting the institution of the family. Following the principle of subsidiarity, larger communities should take care not to usurp the family's prerogatives or interfere in its life."

2210
"The importance of the family for the life and well-being of society entails a particular responsibility for society to support and strengthen marriage and the family. Civil authority should consider it a grave duty ‘to acknowledge the true nature of marriage and the family, to protect and foster them, to safeguard public morality, and promote domestic prosperity."

2211
"The political community has a duty to honor the family, to assist it, and to ensure especially:

• the freedom to establish a family, have children, and bring them up in keeping with the family's own moral and religious convictions;
  
• the protection of the stability of the marriage bond and the institution of the family;
  
• the freedom to profess one's faith, to hand it on, and raise children in it, with the necessary means and institutions;
  
• the right to private property, to free enterprise, to obtain work and housing, and the right to emigrate;
  
• in keeping with the country's institutions, the right to medical care, assistance for the aged, and family benefits;
  
• the protection of security and health, especially with respect to dangers like drugs, pornography, alcoholism, etc.;
  
• the freedom to form associations with other families and so to have representation before civil authority."