(OSV News) — As the nation’s Catholics conclude Respect Life Month, Massachusetts pro-life advocates are challenging a new law in that state expanding abortion, and have collected nearly 100,000 voter… The post BREAKING: Mass. abortion law repeal backed by Catholic bishops hits nearly 100K signatures to get on 2028 ballot first appeared on OSV News .
Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week honors staff, volunteers, nurses, directors and receptionists working across pregnancy help organizations. The post Serving vulnerable pregnant and parenting women is ‘heroic’ work, says USCCB pro-life chair first appeared on OSV News .
"This is not easy work, in part because so many people feel that prisoners facing death have entirely forfeited their human dignity and right to life." The post Archbishop Coakley: Botched execution, proposed livestream reveal ‘inhumanity’ of death penalty first appeared on OSV News .
A significant number of Catholic health workers in Illinois are now covered by a temporary restraining order on the state's new physician assisted suicide law that took effect Sept. 12.
In 2024, Canada recorded a world-leading 16,499 deaths under MAiD, or Medical Assistance in Dying, with some patients qualifying although they were not dying. The post Former premier who led Quebec when province OK’d ‘assistance in dying’ now questions its expansion first appeared on OSV News .
The Food and Drug Administration's safety review of mifepristone is expected to stretch into next year, according to an Oct. 7 court filing, prompting disappointment from pro-life groups.
A leak of the draft of the Dobbs decision in May 2022 is seen as the most significant breach of the court's confidentiality in its history. The post In rare interviews, Alito defends court’s independence, reflects on impact of Dobbs leak first appeared on OSV News .
Pope Leo XIV's apostolic journey to France from September 25 to 28, 2026, focused on defending the dignity of every human life, challenging French lawmakers on assisted dying, abortion, and surrogacy, and emphasizing that no human life is disposable. During his visit, he engaged with the sick and disabled in Lourdes, delivered a speech at UNESCO warning about the impact of AI on human dignity, and celebrated a Mass in Paris attended by over 800,000 people, including altar servers with Down syndrome, highlighting his global voice for the vulnerable. The pope's visit sparked renewed debate over France's assisted-dying legislation, with his strong defense of life receiving widespread attention, including from President Emmanuel Macron, who attended Mass with him despite political opposition; Pope Leo also condemned euthanasia and abortion as threats to human dignity and called for medicine to reject programmed death, reinforcing his role as a prominent advocate for the disabled, elderly, unborn, and vulnerable in society.
A coalition of pro-life states filed a lawsuit directly with the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to overturn abortion 'shield laws' in several Democratic-led states that protect providers mailing abortion pills into states with pro-life laws. The legal action contends these shield laws violate the Constitution and threaten the ability of pro-life states to enforce their abortion restrictions.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, urged the faithful to pray, fast, and vote no on two proposed constitutional amendments that would guarantee access to abortion and remove the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
"Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother. Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing." The post During Respect Life Month, Catholics urged to pray, take action to stop use of abortion pill first appeared on OSV News .
During his September 25-27 visit to France, Pope Leo XIV strongly defended human life, condemning abortion, surrogacy, and assisted dying, and urging protection for the vulnerable despite the new assisted-dying law that took effect in August. His remarks, including a call that 'what is legal is not necessarily moral,' were seen by pro-life advocates and the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation as encouragement to continue opposing the law and promoting the dignity of the sick, elderly, and disabled.
The 2027 National March for Life theme is 'The Truth is Pro-Life,' with a major emphasis on the dangers and easy access of chemical abortion drugs, and former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will be the keynote speaker. The event will take place amid challenges such as preserving the Hyde Amendment, the approval and mail distribution of a new generic abortion drug, and a rising abortion rate, while the March for Life is undergoing a leadership transition after former president Jennie Bradley Lichter stepped down in July.
Pope Leo XIV spoke at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on September 27, 2026, condemning assisted suicide and abortion of the disabled, emphasizing the sanctity of life and rejecting 'false compassion' that justifies causing death. During his visit, he encouraged the sick and disabled pilgrims, affirming their dignity and irreplaceable role in the Church, while also addressing the healthcare community to care for suffering persons rather than eliminate them.
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Paris on September 25, 2026, and urged French leaders at the Élysée Palace to protect every human life, condemning assisted dying, abortion, and surrogacy while emphasizing the importance of welcoming life unconditionally and supporting the vulnerable. During his four-day apostolic journey, the pope also highlighted France's deep Christian roots, addressed secularization challenges, and planned visits including a Mass with nearly 600,000 attendees and a prayer vigil for young people at Stade de France.
The End of Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act took effect in Illinois on September 12, allowing terminally ill patients to request prescription drugs to hasten death under specific conditions, prompting educational efforts by Catholic and pro-life groups to explain Church teachings and the law's implications. Jozef Zalot, a bioethicist with the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, are among those leading workshops and discussions to help clergy, laity, and families understand and respond to the new law while emphasizing compassionate accompaniment of the suffering.
The Supreme Court declined to intervene in a custody dispute involving California parents and a surrogate who refused their request for an abortion after the unborn child was diagnosed with a serious heart defect. The surrogate, McKenna West, delivered the child in Texas and sought conservatorship, while the biological parents sued for breach of the surrogacy agreement and were previously ruled legal parents by a California court.
The surrogacy industry’s frequent association with abortion, particularly in cases involving multiple pregnancies or medical abnormalities, and highlights a recent case where a surrogate refused to abort a baby diagnosed with a serious congenital heart condition. It also presents the Catholic Church's condemnation of surrogacy as a violation of the dignity of both the child and the mother, emphasizing that a child is a gift and not a product or property.
"Doctors, legal professionals, disability groups, other faith communities and those of no faith ... stood up for the dignity and sanctity of every life." The post ‘Remarkable victory’: Life advocates welcome defeat of assisted suicide bill in England and Wales first appeared on OSV News .
A federal judge on September 11 issued a temporary restraining order blocking Illinois from enforcing its physician-assisted suicide law against Catholic entities, including Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, two orders of Catholic women religious, and an Illinois pharmacist, who argued the law would force them to facilitate assisted suicides in violation of their faith.
Experts agreed that the Church and Catholics have a responsibility to be involved in postpartum support as a pro-life issue. The post ‘You were never meant to carry this alone’: Experts say helping postpartum moms is a pro-life issue first appeared on OSV News .
As its title suggests, the comedy "Coyote vs. Acme" (Ketchup Entertainment), which blends live action with animation, concerns a legal case. The post Coyote vs. Acme first appeared on OSV News .
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, two orders of Catholic nuns, and an Illinois pharmacist sued Illinois Sept. 3 over the state's physician-assisted suicide law, which permits physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide. The post Cardinal Cupich, women religious, Catholic pharmacist sue Illinois over assisted suicide law first appeared on OSV News .
State ballot measures ask voters to weigh in directly on a policy item, law or regulation, sometimes in lieu of or alongside the legislative process. The post Housing, gender, abortion policies among state ballot measures in 2026 first appeared on OSV News .
"Expressing a view on abortion in a reasonable manner is not something that should allow people of faith to be victimized," said the head of SPUC. The post Scottish school settles case with Catholic teacher fired after abortion discussion first appeared on OSV News .
The U.S. bishops are opponents of permitting distribution of mifepristone by mail, and have called on the Trump administration to rescind it. The post State challenge to policy permitting mifepristone by mail paused until after midterms first appeared on OSV News .
Cassidy said the Aug. 27 report was the result of an investigation into abortion pill manufacturers. The post Cassidy takes aim at FDA mifepristone regulation, manufacturers first appeared on OSV News .
The judge's order is in place pending the result of two cases under appeal in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, NIFLA v. Treto and Schroeder v. Treto. The post Judge temporarily blocks Illinois assisted suicide law; plaintiffs feel ‘relief, gratitude for now’ first appeared on OSV News .
