"The Church's social teaching argues on the basis of reason and natural law, namely, on the basis of what is in accord with the nature of every human being. It recognizes that it is not the Church's responsibility to make this teaching prevail in political life. Rather, the Church wishes to help form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act accordingly. "

(Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love, n. 28).
 

"What the Church has said is that because it is the first gift from a loving God and the condition for all other human goods, all our other rights - life itself has to be a top priority. It is the most basic gift, and if we lose the right to live we lose everything else."

"It has always been important that Catholics be involved in political life. Our National motto is One Nation under God. We must as a people, defend the basic moral principles. In the Declaration of Independence we say these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We acknowledge that the right to life is a fundamental right in our society. If we don't have life we don't have anything."

"A Catholic politician or a Catholic voter can not separate himself or herself from his or her moral responsibility. You cannot choose when and where to be Catholic and that includes political life and voter responsibility."

"Obviously, there are some evils which the State must adjudicate. Which ones? Those which directly target the common good of the common life of the society. And in such cases, the State must act. For example, abortion and euthanasia. Here the contemporary vision is perverse. It is the modern problem of legal positivism -- whatever the majority wants is considered to be 'just'. This is a perversity! It is perverse because tomorrow what the majority dictates will be opposed to the majority of today. Society's job is to seek out unchanging values. Every [political] party must place itself under those fundamental values, and the first among these is the intangible worth of the human person."

"The Church must speak out in today's context on fundamental rights, the right to justice, the right to peace, but above all and in the first place, the right to life. If the Church did not speak, did not proclaim the truth, it would be abandoning its duty; it would be unfaithful to society, to the good of society. Therefore, its precise duty is the very liberty to intervene with word, and also with example -- the example of promoting human life, of intervening for the salvation of mankind."

Bulletin Inserts on Faithful Citizenship