Today we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who died fighting (peacefully) for the rights of those who were treated as less than human because of the color of their skin.

Today, the battle for the freedom and the rights of all human beings is far from over and the threats to the dignity of the human person are only getting worse. The past 38 years has seen the legal killing of roughly 53 MILLION children of all racial backgrounds.

But, we’re not just talking about abortion anymore. We’re talking IVF, surrogacy, assisted suicide, destroying embryos for scientific research, and who would have ever thought we’d be seriously talking about human CLONING?!

Let us pray and, like Dr. King, let us never cease to speak out for the dignity and equality of all human life!

Heavenly Father,
the beauty and dignity of human life
was the crowning of your creation.
You further ennobled that life
when your Son became one with us in his incarnation.
Help us to realize the sacredness of human life
and to respect it from the moment of conception
until the last moment at death.
Give us courage to speak with truth
and love and with conviction in defense of life.
Help us to extend the gentle hand of mercy and forgiveness
to those who do not reverence your gift of life.
To all, grant pardon for the times we have failed
to be grateful for your precious gift of life
or to respect it in others.
We ask this in Jesus’ Name.

Amen.
-Prayer for Respect for Life