The recent opening on the Supreme Court has once again placed a spotlight on abortion that has not gone unnoticed in the Catholic Church.

The Rev. Eamon Tobin, pastor of Ascension Catholic Community in Melbourne, discussed being pro-life in the church's Oct. 4 bulletin. 

"For the Church, pro-life encompasses all life— 'from womb to tomb,'" Tobin said in the bulletin. 

And quoting U.S. bishops from their "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" letter, he said that holiness requires a "passionate defense of the 'innocent and unborn.' ... Additionally, abortion contaminates many other important issues by being inserted into legislation regarding immigration, care for the poor and health care reform."

There are other issues to be concerned with as well, such as human trafficking, a new form of slavery, Tobin said. For Catholics and disciples of Christ, pro-life is all life, and it is important to find a place in the heart for all pro-life issues. There is a danger that we may profess to stand on behalf of life, but our pro-life values may not extend to all life.

“Each of us has to ask ourselves to what extent are we pro-life from womb to tomb,” Fr. Tobin said.