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intrinsically evil. These must always be opposed. Other direct assaults on
innocent human life, such as genocide, torture, and the targeting of noncom-
batants in acts of terror or war, can never be justified. Nor can violations of
human dignity, such as acts of racism, treating workers as mere means to an
end, deliberately subjecting workers to subhuman living conditions, treating
the poor as disposable, or redefining marriage to deny its essential meaning,
ever be justified.
24. Opposition to intrinsically evil acts, which undercut the dignity of the
human person, should also open our eyes to the good we must do, that is, to
our positive duty to contribute to the common good and to act in solidarity
with those in need. As St. John Paul II said, “The fact that only the negative
commandments oblige always and under all circumstances does not mean
that in the moral life prohibitions are more important than the obligation to
do good indicated by the positive commandment” (
Veritatis Splendor
, no. 52).
Both opposing evil
and
doing good are essential obligations.
25. The right to life implies and is linked to other human rights—to the basic
goods that every human person needs to live and thrive. All the life issues are
connected, for erosion of respect for the life of any individual or group in soci-
ety necessarily diminishes respect for all life. The moral imperative to respond
to the needs of our neighbors—basic needs such as food, shelter, health care,
education, and meaningful work—is universally binding on our consciences
and may be legitimately fulfilled by a variety of means. Catholics must seek
the best ways to respond to these needs. As St. John XXIII taught, “[Each of
us] has the right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suit-
able for the proper development of life; these are primarily food, clothing,
shelter, rest, medical care, and, finally, the necessary social services” (
Pacem in
Terris
, no. 11).
26. St. John Paul II explained the importance of being true to fundamental
Church teachings:
Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on
behalf of human rights—for example, the right to health, to
home, to work, to family, to culture—is false and illusory if
the right to life
, the most basic and fundamental right and the